Administrative Support

Description:

Our values set the direction for what it means to work in our department. They inform the standard and expectations of behaviours, skills and capabilities and the attributes we currently have, will continually work to achieve and develop, and that we use to acknowledge and attract, retain and recruit into our department.

The department supports workplace diversity and values the contribution of people from diverse backgrounds. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people with cultural and linguistic diversity, and LGBTIQ people. The department is committed to achieving gender equality and, in particular, supporting women’s progression into senior leadership.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is responsible for the design and implementation of the Australian Government's infrastructure, transport and regional development policies and programs, and is the lead agency for communications and the arts.

We are at the forefront of the Australian Government’s efforts to connect our communities, secure the nation’s economic future, improve living standards, provide access to high quality communication services and ensure all Australians can enjoy diverse artistic and cultural experiences.

The People, Governance, Parliamentary and Communication Division provides the department with high quality, contemporary and client focused people, governance, assurance, risk, parliamentary, communication, property and integrity services, products and advice.

The Assurance, Integrity, Risk and Governance Branch is one of three branches in the Division and leads the department’s policies and procedures to ensure we are meeting all of our obligations and requirements in regards to governance, accountability and integrity.

The FOI Section manages and coordinates the processing of requests for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act including:

• assessing the validity of requests;

• working with business areas to identify and retrieve relevant documents;

• assisting authorised decisions makers to make decisions on access to documents;

• facilitating consultations with FOI applicants, affected third parties and other government agencies;

• managing both internal and external reviews of decisions made under the FOI Act.

  We are looking for an APS5 Officer who can provide administrative support to the FOI Section, manage routine FOI requests and assist with reporting requirements.

  In this role, you will be responsible for:

• managing the FOI mailbox to ensure all incoming mail is actioned within an appropriate timeframe

• triaging incoming FOI requests and working with the FOI leadership team to assess their validity

• entering data into Departmental systems to ensure accurate record keeping

• managing routine and less complex FOI requests

• preparing correspondence to FOI applicants and other stakeholders

• building and maintaining relationships with Action Officers and Decision Makers within the Department and across the Portfolio to progress FOI requests, ensuring statutory timeframes are met

• liaising with external stakeholders, including other state and commonwealth agencies, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

• preparing regular reporting, including statutory reporting to the OAIC

• researching legislation

• assisting other members of the FOI team with administrative tasks, including collating documents and using redaction software