APS6 - Senior Policy Officers, Online Safety Branch

at  Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development

THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE AVAILABLE

The Online Safety, Media and Platforms Division provides advice to the Minister for Communications on a broad range of issues and leads the development of policy and regulatory responses which:

• Enable all Australians to connect to media and online services safely
• Harness the economic and social benefits of media services
• Promote Australian news, culture, community identity and media diversity to support and inform democracy and civil engagement
• Sustain an efficient, vibrant and resilient Australian media industry.

We are looking for talented and enthusiastic policy professionals to fill roles in the Online Safety Branch.
The Online Safety Branch leads policy development for online safety, including broad oversight of the government’s policy settings related to harmful online content, such as cyberbullying, image-based abuse and online hate speech. The Branch has policy and governance oversight of the eSafety Commissioner and is supporting the independent review of the Online Safety Act 2021.
We engage with international partners in bilateral and multilateral forums to support a consistent global approach to online safety, keep across new and emerging regulatory challenges, promote Australia’s world leading approach to online safety, and inform our advice to government.

A Senior Policy Officer is responsible for:

• Contributing to policy development and providing expert policy advice.
• Developing, supporting and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Preparing a range of high-quality written materials, including correspondence, briefs and submissions.
• Conducting comprehensive research and analysis activities in support of policy development.

There are both ongoing and non-ongoing positions available. Vacancies include:
Policy and Engagement team
The Policy and Engagement team is responsible for providing policy advice to Government on emerging online harms and managing international engagement on online safety.

The team is looking for:

• Senior Policy Officer - International Engagement will work with a diverse range of stakeholders to promote and provide advice on Australia’s online safety policy and regulatory approaches in international settings. You will support the Minister for Communications and departmental staff to represent the Australian Government on online safety issues. Prior experience in a bilateral or multilateral international engagement, foreign policy or international development role is highly desirable, but not essential.
• Senior Policy Officer - Domestic Policy will provide advice on key emerging harms and technologies that impact online safety. This will require strong research and stakeholder engagement skills to work on issues such as online hate speech and artificial intelligence regulation. You will play a key role in coordinating online harms policy across government and supporting the Minister for Communications to Chair the biannual Online Harms Ministers Meetings.

Strategy and Research team

• Senior Policy Officer - Strategy and Research to support the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2021 (OSA), provide governance oversight of the eSafety Commissioner and assist with the independent review of the OSA. You will work flexibly across the team to help deliver key priorities, including to finalise reforms to the Basic Online Safety Expectations, support the reviewer’s stakeholder engagement and public consultation, and contribute ideas, research and other material to the review of Australia’s online safety laws.

A merit pool will be established for a period of 18 months from the date of this advertisement as a result of the selection process. This pool could be drawn on to fill subsequent vacancies in the Branch during this time.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 including:

• Citizenship: To be eligible for employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts applicants must be an Australian citizen.
• Health Assessment: The preferred applicant may be required to undergo a medical examination conducted by the department’s preferred medical provider.
• Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to obtain and/or maintain a security clearance at Baseline Level. You must be willing to disclose all relevant and required information. You must have lived in Australia, or have a checkable background, for at least the preceding five years for Baseline Vetting clearances. More information on the security clearance vetting process is available on the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for this opportunity close at 11:59pm AEST, Sunday 28 April 2024.
In applying for this position, you are not required to address individual selection criteria. Rather, you should provide a statement of no more than two pages outlining your background, capabilities and experiences, and how these align with the advertised role. You should also provide a CV, no more than four pages. The capabilities and behaviours required to be successful for this role are identified in the ‘Who are we looking for’ section.
Your application should be received through the department’s online recruitment system. Applications via Indeed will not be accepted.
If you experience any issues with the system please contact the recruitment team on 02 6274 6161 or via email at recruitment@infrastructure.gov.au to discuss an alternative way to submit your application.
Please advise the contact officer if you require reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. The department is committed to the accessibility of our systems. If you find accessibility limitations in our systems, please contact recruitment@infrastructure.gov.au and an alternative application format will be provided to you

• Contributing to policy development and providing expert policy advice.
• Developing, supporting and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Preparing a range of high-quality written materials, including correspondence, briefs and submissions.
• Conducting comprehensive research and analysis activities in support of policy development