Updating Results

Services Australia

3.6
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Services Australia Graduate Programs & Internships

  • Government & Public Service

We make government services simple so people can get on with their lives. 

Every hour of every day in Australia, people in need turn to the Australian Government for help. In those moments, our agency responds.  

We rise to challenges, fuelled by the knowledge that what we do matters. Our work can be challenging but rewarding, and suits people who are resilient and embrace innovation and change. We help customers at key moments in their lives. Whether supporting strategic policy, leading whole-of-government initiatives, or excelling in various roles, everyone in our agency makes a real difference to Australians. 

We’re committed to progress, constantly moving forward to deliver services that are simple, helpful, respectful and transparent.  

About the program

We want  graduates who are bold, forward-thinking and bring big ideas. 

As a graduate, you’ll work in either a national or regional office , with plenty of support to help you meet your career and personal goals. Our dedicated team will be with you along the way and we’ll team you up with a graduate buddy and senior executive staff mentor. 

We’re looking for a range of people to join us. We want people with all kinds of backgrounds who’ve graduated from their degree within the last 5 years.  

Our program offers 9 streams:

  • data
  • digital
  • finance and accounting
  • generalist
  • human resources
  • legal
  • service delivery
  • service design
  • social work.

Most streams follow a 10-month program, with the legal stream running for up to 18 months. 

To join most of the specialist streams, you’ll need a degree that matches that area. For the service delivery and generalist streams, any eligible degree will open the door. You can apply for more than one stream if you’re eligible. 

Placement locations

We have positions available in major cities and regional towns. If you’re offered a spot in our program and need to move to a new location, we’ll help you relocate. 

Development activities

We have a range of training and development opportunities to help you grow and shape your career.  

During our program, you’ll take part in a variety of activities, including: 

  • Australian Public Service Commission events
  • graduate and internal events
  • presentations to our CEO and senior executive staff
  • capability masterclasses.

You’ll also get: 

  • first-hand experience in our service delivery environments to learn how Australians access government services
  • training specific to your work area.

These activities will help you: 

  • get exposure to our business
  • strengthen your networking skills
  • develop and enhance your career opportunities
  • broaden your understanding of the Australian Public Service (APS).

Service delivery experience

During your experience in service delivery, you’ll see how our work makes a positive difference to the lives of Australians by seeing first-hand how Australians access government services. This 6-week experience is unique to our graduate program.

CEO and COO placements 

You’ll be able to apply for a 3-month placement in the Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) or Chief Operating Officer’s (COO) office. 

During the placement, you’ll perform the duties of an executive support officer, such as preparing and reviewing information packs, drafting meeting documents, operational reports and cabinet submissions. 

Community OutReach Experience 

You’ll have the opportunity to apply for our Community OutReach Experience (CORE). It’s a unique opportunity to take part in a life-changing experience, where you’ll: 

  • support our most vulnerable and remote communities
  • gain a greater understanding of the issues customers in these communities experience
  • learn about the complexities of service delivery in these areas
  • gain a greater understanding of the important work undertaken by our community engagement officers, multicultural service officers, Indigenous service officers, financial service officers, aged care service officers and more.

If successful, you’ll spend up to 3 months in a location such as Alice Springs, Broome, Darwin, Melbourne or Sydney.

Support

It’s important you feel supported throughout your time in our program. We have a dedicated team in place to help you, from your initial offer and relocation through to your graduation ceremony. 

We work hard to ensure you settle into the program and make the most of the opportunities our agency has to offer. 

We’re committed to providing a work environment that values diversity and inclusion and supports all staff to reach their full potential. We have a range of workplace diversity and inclusion strategies, policies and initiatives in place to achieve this.  

Our RecruitAbility scheme is available to candidates who identify as having a disability.  

For more information about the National Graduate Program, go to our website and follow us on social media.  

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program, you must be an Australian citizen. 

You’ll need to have successfully passed and completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the last 5 years. 

If you got your degree overseas, you’ll need to have it recognised by the Department of Education. Read more about overseas qualifications on their website. 

Some specialist streams have additional requirements. Find out what the requirements are for each stream:

Recruitment Process

There are 5 steps you need to complete to apply to our National Graduate Program:

  1. Online application
  2. Online skills assessment
  3. Virtual assessment centre and referee checks
  4. Merit pool and matching you to a role
  5. Verbal employment offer and pre-engagement checks.

Australian Government Graduate Program

Services Australia is a participating agency in the Australian Government Graduate Program’s (AGGP) data, digital, finance and accounting, human resources, legal and STEM streams. 

Applying to one of these streams means you only have to go through the application and selection process once to be considered for a range of Australian Government agencies. Make sure to preference Services Australia in your application. 

Find more information about how to apply to these streams on the APS Jobs website. 

Remuneration & Career Growth

We provide generous remuneration, superannuation and leave entitlements.  

For graduates joining us in 2026, we offer 2 pay points. What you’ll get paid depends on your qualification level: 

if you’ve completed an undergraduate degree, we’ll pay you $68,830. 

if you’ve completed a double degree or have a higher qualification, we’ll pay you $76,714. 

If you successfully complete the program, you’ll progress to the APS5 classification, no matter what your qualification level is. 

Graduate Reviews

Overall Score
3.6
Overall score based on 140 reviews
They Score Best in…
8.1
Diversity
8.1
Work Hours
7.6
Management
7.3
Office Work Environment
What Graduates Say About Them
  • The flexibility of Services Australia is one of the great attractions of them.
  • Very secure job and not worried about redundancy.
  • The people are great, very helpful, welcoming, and nice.
  • Knowing that the work I am doing is making a difference in the lives of vulnerable people.
  • Work-life balance and catering to all kinds of working arrangements.
  • It's not the work I'd hoped to be doing, but it's not bad. I would like the work to be more challenging.
  • Technology is a consistent issue; our hardware does not keep up with the programs and applications we use.
  • Decision-making processes can be slower due to the hierarchical nature of the organisation.
  • The worst thing about working at Services Australia is the level of bureaucracy within the organisation.
  • The recruitment process was long, over 6 months. Communication was lax.

Jobs & Opportunities

Locations With Jobs & Opportunities
  • NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, ACT, NT, TAS
Hiring candidates with qualifications in
B
Business & Management
C
Creative Arts
E
Engineering & Mathematics
H
Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences
I
IT & Computer Science
L
Law, Legal Studies & Justice
M
Medical & Health Sciences
P
Property & Built Environment
S
Sciences
T
Teaching & Education