Senior Lawyer

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is seeking a Senior Lawyer to join its Law and Policy Branch. The Law and Policy Branch delivers legal support services within the Tribunal through several specialist teams. The Senior Lawyer roles work with a specialist team of lawyers and provide strategic advice on a range of matters to members and staff of the Tribunal and to the Tribunal's senior leadership.

We are seeking a Senior Lawyer to work in the specialist team that principally provides support to the Tribunal's Social Security and Child Support Division. The Law and Policy Branch provides legal services that span a range of administrative law jurisdictions, including social security, migration and refugee and the national disability insurance scheme, and there may be opportunities for the successful candidate to work across other areas of the Branch.

The successful candidate will have excellent research, analysis and communication skills, and be capable of working both independently and with a geographically dispersed team to promptly provide in house legal advice and opinions on a range of administrative law, social security law and child support law queries. Existing knowledge of social security or child support law is an advantage but not essential. 

The annual salary for this position is from $108,997 to $128,291 plus 15.4% superannuation. Our newly approved Enterprise Agreement will deliver a 4% pay increase from 14 March 2024.

More information about this position, the scope of the role, duties and selection criteria, is contained within the position description for this role, available from the Working at the AAT page of our website, www.aat.gov.au.

Position Eligibility Requirements:

Australian citizenship as a condition of engagement.

All employees are required to undertake an Australian Federal Police Check and a health assessment.

Mandatory:

• Admission as a legal practitioner, however described, of the Supreme Court of an Australian State or Territory; holder of (or eligible to hold) a current practising certificate.

How to apply:

Applications must be lodged by selecting apply below. You are required to respond to the capabilities and experience indicated within the Position Description. Your response to the required capabilities and experience should be no longer than 2 pages in total. Please note that applicants who do not address the required capabilities and experience will not progress to shortlisting.

Your Resume/CV should not exceed 2 pages in total.

Applications will be accepted until 11:30 pm (AEDT) on Sunday, 3 March 2024.

Please contact our recruitment team on (02) 9276 5*** or ***********@aat.gov.au should you require assistance with accessing our website or with lodging your application.

Contact Officer:

Any questions about this position should be directed to Holly Casey on (03) 9454 6*** or ***********@aat.gov.au

Position Notes:

Order of merit list/merit pool: A merit list/pool of suitable candidates may be created from this process. Suitable candidates on this merit list/pool may be contacted in relation to identical or similar ongoing roles in the AAT, or the broader APS, within 18 months from the date of gazettal.

Working for the AAT:

Play your part in the important work of providing a mechanism for the review of Government decisions affecting people’s lives.

The AAT is a Commonwealth Government agency that performs a key function in the Australian system of administrative law. We offer career opportunities to talented people with diverse skills and backgrounds. We are committed to a positive culture that is supportive, inclusive and rewards effort. Like the cases we are asked to review, our work is varied, complex and meaningful. It has a clear impact on the people and communities around us.

As a small and dynamic agency within the Australian Public Service (APS), our staff have opportunities to progress their careers through acting opportunities and secondments. We empower our people to build their capabilities through continuous learning. We provide a range of flexible work options and holistic health and wellbeing support. Our competitive employment package includes generous leave provisions and a 15.4% employer contribution to superannuation. For more information about these and other conditions of employment refer to the AAT Enterprise Agreement. 

About the AAT:

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) plays a crucial role in the Australian legal landscape, providing a process for individuals and organisations to seek an independent review of decisions made under a wide range of Commonwealth laws.

The AAT can take a fresh look at decisions made by Australian Government ministers, departments and agencies – and, in limited circumstances, decisions made by state government and non-government bodies. It also can review decisions made under Norfolk Island laws.

The AAT comprises members, the independent statutory appointees who hear review applications, and staff, who provide services to support applicants and the review process, as well as the Tribunal’s daily operations.

The AAT will be transitioning to a new merits review body, to be called the Administrative Review Tribunal, in 2024.

You can learn more about the AAT here. Information about the reform of the federal administrative review system can be found on the Attorney-General’s website.