The Australian Public Service – an employer of choice
Opening graphics
Logo – Australian Government
Logo – As One – working together to transform the APS workforce
As One, the Australian Public Service Disability Employment Strategy, aims to support the
employment of people with disability in our large and diverse workforce.
In this video, senior leaders share their experiences of creating inclusive and confident
workplaces for people with disability.
Question on screen: How does the APS encourage people with
disability to consider a career in the APS?
Samantha Palmer, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Health, Diversity Champion
One of the most important aspects of the Australian Public Service is the great conditions of service
for the people who work in it and this makes it a wonderful place for people to work with all sorts of
different diversity backgrounds. We have an amazing capacity to develop our leadership and make
sure that we have good managers in our service which create the right conditions for our employees
to do their very best.
Michelle Cornish, Group Manager, Department of Education, Diversity Champion
The APS, the Australian Public Service is such a large employer, so there are so many opportunities
for us to improve the diversity of our workforce and therefore reflect the general population. So we
have so many opportunities that we can offer to people.
Dr Ian Watt AO, Secretary (retired), Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
I would encourage them to apply and I would say that they have the same opportunity in the APS as
would any other person. I would also say that they can aspire to the same future in the APS as any
other person. I would finally say that the APS is an employer that brings a quality of opportunity to
everyone, including and particularly I hope, to people with a disability.
Carmel McGregor, Deputy Secretary (retired), Department of Defence
That there are many jobs, many locations, many different types of activities that people with
disabilities can be involved in; that they will be supported in their workplace; where they have specific
requirements we will work with them to help them get the access and equipment or adaptive
technology that they need; and that we will help them connect with others so that they will find support
from amongst their peers
Michelle Cornish, Group Manager, Department of Education, Diversity Champion
You’ll find a workplace that is supportive; that provides reasonable adjustment; that cares about
people. People matter, leadership matters. It’s a fantastic place to work.
Samantha Palmer, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Health, Diversity Champion
I’d really encourage people with disability to consider working in the APS and to throw their hat in the
ring. There’s lots of amazing wide range of jobs that you can do here and very supportive policies and
practices for people from all walks of life.
Question on screen: How can agencies adjust recruitment
processes to be more inclusive?
Carol Heijo, National Disability Access Coordinator, Department of Human Services
It’s important for managers to remember that they need to focus on what the job requires, so what are
going to be the outcomes of that particular job and what would an employee need to have in order to
achieve those outcomes? So not how the employee is going to achieve those outcomes, but what
outcomes need to be achieved? For example, it may not be necessary for a person to have a driver’s
licence, although the job requires them to go to different locations, that employee may be able to
access those locations using taxis or buses or other forms of transport and they may not require a
driver’s licence.
Craig Farrell, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Immigration and Border Protection
There is still a lot of confusion out there about what merit means to individual people, and this is not
just in the disability space. But can this person do the job? Is this person well-suited to the job? What
sorts of preparation, including development and training and reasonable adjustment, can we make to
make a reasonable assessment of this person? Can this person be a productive Australian public
service employee? If the answer to that is yes, then it should be our purpose to set about putting that
in place, removing as many barriers as is possible.
Carol Heijo, National Disability Access Coordinator, Department of Human Services
Different people need different adjustments throughout a recruitment process, at the interview stage
or even at the application stage. I think you need to consider enabling people to apply in many
different ways, not just in writing and not just the regular CV-style of application. When it comes to
interview I think you need to enable people to be interviewed in different ways. Some people may
need to bring an Auslan interpreter with them; other people may need assistance if there’s computer
testing, so they might be users of assistive technology and they might need that to be installed; they
might need more time during an interview process; they might need to explain things in a different
way. It doesn’t really matter how their interviewed or how they apply for the position, as long as they
have a chance to demonstrate that their capable of performing the job.
Closing graphics
Logo – As One – working together to transform the APS workforce
Logo – Australian Government