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ANZSCO 2247Skill level 1Law and government

Policy officer

Develop and review government policy across federal, state and local agencies.

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Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$2000Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

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What a policy officer actually does

Policy officers sit inside a federal, state or local government department and work in a branch that owns a slice of policy. A typical day involves writing or editing briefs, drafting talking points, reviewing submissions from external stakeholders and attending internal meetings with the branch director and assistant secretary. Officers cycle between long-form work (a Cabinet submission, a discussion paper, a regulation impact statement) and short-fuse reactive work (a ministerial signature pack, Question Time briefs, responses to media or parliamentary questions). Workload follows the parliamentary calendar: sitting weeks, Budget week and any major announcement push everything forward. Hours sit at 37.5-42 a week during normal periods and stretch to 50-60 in a Budget or election cycle. Most of the day is desk-based in a Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne office or hybrid from home.

Typical tasks

  • Brief ministers and senior executives.
  • Conduct stakeholder consultation.
  • Draft Cabinet submissions and parliamentary materials.

Skills you'll use

  • Writing tight briefs in standard government format
  • Reading legislation, regulations and consultation submissions quickly
  • Stakeholder consultation across industry, community and other agencies
  • Drafting Cabinet submissions, talking points and Question Time briefs
  • Quantitative and qualitative analysis of policy options
  • Working under tight ministerial and parliamentary deadlines
  • Navigating internal clearance processes and chain-of-command sign-off
  • Maintaining confidentiality of Cabinet-in-confidence material

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 12 with strong English and a broad subject mix
  2. 2Complete a Bachelor of Arts, Public Policy, Economics, Law or Science (3-4 years), often a double degree
  3. 3Apply for an APS graduate programme (Department of Finance, PM and C, Treasury, DFAT, Defence, Services Australia and others), a state graduate programme (Victoria, NSW, Queensland, WA, SA), or a local-council graduate scheme
  4. 4Complete the graduate year with rotations across several branches before settling into an APS 4-5 (or state equivalent) policy role
  5. 5Build subject-matter expertise in one portfolio over 2-5 years (tax, health, social services, infrastructure, environment etc.)
  6. 6Move from APS 6 to Executive Level 1 and 2 as you take on team-lead and assistant-director responsibilities

Where you can work

  • Australian Public Service departments and agencies
  • State and territory public service departments
  • Local government strategy and planning teams
  • Independent statutory bodies (ACCC, AER, ASIC, AHRC, Productivity Commission)
  • Parliamentary research and committee secretariats
  • Ministerial offices on secondment from a department
  • Think tanks and policy non-profits

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Graduate or APS 3-4
    0-3 years
    Typical roles: APS graduate, APS 3 or APS 4 policy officer, State VPS 2-3 analyst
    Salary band: $70,000 - $90,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. APS 5-6 policy officer
    3-7 years
    Typical roles: APS 5 policy officer, APS 6 senior policy officer, State VPS 4-5 policy officer
    Salary band: $90,000 - $125,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Executive Level
    7-15 years
    Typical roles: EL1 assistant director, EL2 director, State principal policy officer
    Salary band: $125,000 - $195,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Senior Executive Service
    15+ years
    Typical roles: SES Band 1, SES Band 2, First Assistant Secretary

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You like building a careful written argument from evidence
  • You can balance political reality against expert advice without taking sides
  • You're patient with process, sign-off and consultation
  • You can switch from a four-week project to a four-hour brief without losing quality
  • You're comfortable handing your work to a more senior person to put their name on
  • You're willing to spend years on one portfolio before becoming an expert

This might not suit you if

  • You want fast feedback loops and quick wins each week
  • You hate writing or revising drafts to a fixed house style
  • You can't tolerate slow approvals and chain-of-command sign-off
  • You want to make decisions yourself rather than advising someone who will

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for policy officer. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

No direct TAFE pathway to this career.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.