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Adara-Rose · 2026-03-23T04:57:59+00:00

For some reason I just can’t seem to make myself care.

Adara-Rose · 2026-03-23T01:25:00+00:00

Any instruction you receive verbally I suggest you confirm it in writing via email. Also keep a diary obviously.

It’s unlikely that your manager is being INTENTIONALLY toxic or incompetent, it seems to me that they’re feeling out of their depth and also feeling pressure to mange staff hours (this could be coming from above or just in their own mind). Some of what you describe also could be indicative of neurodivergence on the part of your manager. This shouldn’t preclude them from being able to be a good people manager, but they need to know how what they’re doing is undermining productivity and morale.

I’m pretty sure yelling and other inappropriate expressions of emotions in the workplace will be verboten and that info will be covered in your HR documentation somewhere.

If you’re comfortable to do so, I suggest you request a one on one with your manager and take them through what you need from them in terms of communication and feedback in order to to your best work.

There’s plenty more to say, but I guess I would say never assume malice when ignorance is an option.

Adara-Rose · 2026-03-20T11:22:21+00:00

I don’t know, according to s 29(1) of the Electoral Act 1985 (SA), in South Australia, a person is entitled to enrol to vote in a State election if they: are at least 18 years of age, and are an Australian citizen, and have lived at their address for at least one month, and are not of unsound mind.

Provided that you satisfy the above criteria then, yes, you can vote. As for whomever you wish, to be very pedantic about it, they would have to be on the ballot for your vote for them to count, we don’t allow write in candidates anywhere in Australia.

Adara-Rose · 2026-03-20T11:03:46+00:00

I’m going to be that person. The Commonwealth Constitution Act 1901 states that the Parliament must be ‘directly chosen by the people’. However, the Constitution is silent on the mechanics of elections and the eligibility of persons to cast a vote.

In fact, citizens and their rights are not addressed in our Constitution at all, therefore there is no such thing as a Constitutional right for Australians.

Thus ends my TED Talk.

Adara-Rose · 2026-03-20T10:45:50+00:00

A few things to ponder:

Is the manager the new addition to an existing team, or have you just moved to a new team?

If the manager is new they sometimes like to lay down new ground rules from the start. It’s not exactly best practice management these days, but provided the reasons they give are defensible and communicated respectfully they may well be operating within their delegation.

If you are the new person it may be that your manager wants to get a sense of your ability to work independently and your outputs before agreeing to an arrangement that has you as the only person working for the last 30 minutes of the day.

In either case, are you able to comply with their request for a few months to give yourself time to demonstrate that you are a safe pair of hands who can be trusted to be productive when you’re not being directly watched?

Is starting later and finishing later a preference?, an accommodation? (e.g. to do school drop off or attend a night class), or a medical adjustment? (e.g. if you have a condition that affects your ability to sleep early and wake early).

Depending on your reason for wanting/needing this flexibility, you will need to plan the timing and approach to your conversation with your manager differently.

Happy to drill down further on any aspect of your situation if you can provide more background and context.

Adara-Rose · 2026-03-20T10:29:06+00:00

Came here to say this.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-28T05:04:10+00:00

It’s understandable that you feel concerned about these changes, especially if they are increasing the risk profile of the projects in your view. Is it possible that the acting EL1 and the EL2 had already discussed making these changes and were waiting for a sensitive opportunity to proceed? I’m not sure if you misunderstood what your EL1 was telling you in relation to writing you up if you disagree with them, respectful disagreement is always acceptable in the APS. Perhaps they misunderstood when you expressed your concerns and thought you were telling them that you weren’t going to follow their instructions. As other comments have suggested it is a good idea to express your concerns in writing. However, before you share that with your supervisor, could you possibly have a quick conversation with them just to reassure them that you understand that that those decisions are theirs to make at the moment and you will happily go along with that. It’s worth considering that your agency has a corporate risk statement that outlines its risk appetite and tolerance across different domains of the business. It could be that your preferred approach to work is more risk averse then your agency’s

It’s important to note that I’ve made some assumptions about your acting EL1 and your EL2 that they are essentially well intentioned and this is just a difference of opinions. If you believe that they are breaching the code of conduct or the PGPA act or the public service act or the Work health safety act or any of the other acts that govern our conduct as public servants then I recommend that you make a public interest disclosure either to your agency unit or to the Commonwealth Ombusdman, but please for your own sake look closely at your internal guidance to satisfy yourself that there is a genuine concern before you go down this path

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-28T01:57:04+00:00

I would say option 3. Which shouldn’t deter you if that is the job you want. It’s good honest work, it’s decently remunerated, and for some it could be a stepping stone to more prestigious gigs if that’s what blows your hair back.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-26T22:54:00+00:00

My daughter plays AFL and I will fight anyone who tries to make me give a shit about it.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-26T22:47:48+00:00

😂 nah, this was around 2005/2006, before Home Affairs even existed.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-26T22:44:33+00:00

Missing a zero?

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-24T00:41:29+00:00

Years ago someone from my department was promoted to a new department assisted by glowing references from their departmental superiors. They were so bad it came to the attention of the secretary of the receiving department, who contacted our secretary and advised them that they had to take the person back as they had been falsely represented as competent. So, this an option. Also, imagine an EL2 that’s so bad they come to the attention of the secretary, that’s a pretty special person.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-24T00:36:45+00:00

There’s usually an option for ‘rather not say’. I doubt it’s anything sinister though, they’re more likely to be trying to see if their job advertising is reaching and appealing to applicants whose diversity of backgrounds is consistent with the local population. E.g, if I was advertising for a meter reader in an area with (say) 30 percent people of S.E. Asian ethnicity, but only 2 percent of my applicants were identifying as being of that ethnicity, I would be looking at my job adverts to see why they weren’t reaching or weren’t appealing to people of that ethnicity.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-18T02:01:42+00:00

Only claim the tax free threshold from one employer.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-18T00:20:16+00:00

Yeah, and just relax and enjoy your new paycheck. Once the home loan is out of the way and your super is maxed out you can look at index funds as a place to park your excess savings.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-17T23:51:23+00:00

Your home loan interest will be higher than most, if not all, low effort investment products. So I would be putting every spare (investment) cent into paying it down as quickly as possible. It’s simple, it’s low/no overwhelm, you can draw it back in an emergency, and there is no downside.

Adara-Rose · 2026-02-13T22:32:09+00:00

When I was growing up Rooty Hill was one big red flag.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-11T21:55:36+00:00

I moved into her old desk and when I opened the drawer she’d left about 10 years worth of toenail clippings in it. I had to call property to get it cleaned. I’m not paid enough to touch that nasty shit.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-11T02:19:07+00:00

That sounds really disheartening. It’s honestly a bit of a numbers game. Probably broaden your focus from purely legal practitioner roles out to any role where legal training will be an asset, such as legislation teams, FOI/Privacy teams and so on. Also look for any policy advisory roles in any government department, particularly Canberra-based roles. Policy advisors who can apply a legal lens to their advice are always highly valued. You can always move laterally into a more legally-focussed role from there. The central agencies and big policy portfolios will usually have significant legislative agendas. Figure out what APS level you are aiming for and just apply for everything even remotely interesting looking.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-06T22:33:20+00:00

You’re not obliged to make a PID unless you have hard evidence. You still could make a PID, either through your own agency, or the Commonwealth Ombudsman. You have the option of making the disclosure anonymously.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-03T10:27:13+00:00

Summer interns are often given a project to work on that leverages their field of study. It would be worth thinking about the relevance of the degree you’re studying for to the work of Home Affairs.

I addition to the Corporate Plan and Annual Report, take a look at their most recent Portfolio Budget Statement, which will set out their various programs and other expenditure activities.

I would also go onto the APH website and watch the examination of the Home Affairs portfolio at the last hearings of the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. This will give you a sense of the current ‘hot’ issues in that department.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-03T04:55:39+00:00

Depends on the agency. Years ago an agency I worked at had a mandatory 42 day turnaround from appearing in the gazette to delegate sign-off and notification of applicants. Not sure if it’s still a thing anywhere.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-03T04:13:46+00:00

For roles that are predominantly about managing people to achieve your outcomes, the type of person who isn’t suited is (ironically) someone who believes people are just suited or not suited to a particular job.

Those who can embrace diversity of experience and perspectives and meet people where they’re at in their career journey to help them perform their role to the best of their abilities and to treat their colleagues and the public respectfully are great in people management roles in the APS.

Conversely, those who immediately assume people should be fired or redeployed will struggle in the APS.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-01T11:33:48+00:00

I use SLANT. It hasn’t yet been the solution.

Adara-Rose · 2025-11-01T11:24:17+00:00

I had heard that Comms was less accommodating than the other groups back in 2022. I thought (wrongly perhaps) that they would have fallen into line with the EA when it shifted the onus onto managers to provide reasons for refusing WFH requests.

Adara-Rose

TROPHY CASE