At OPC we pride ourselves on our ability to provide clear, effective and accessible Commonwealth law for all Australians.
We grow and develop our people to ensure we sustain our expertise and exceptional talent.
We offer a flexible, inclusive and supportive work environment with a range of attractive benefits.
Hear from our First Parliamentary Counsel about working here
Meredith Leigh, First Parliamentary Counsel
Thank you for your interest in working with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
The Office of Parliamentary Counsel, also known as OPC, was established in June 1970 and our work is and continues to be at the centre of Australia’s democracy.
OPC is proud to have a team of dedicated specialists with expertise in drafting and publishing legislation. Our Mission “To provide clear, effective and accessible Commonwealth law for all Australians’’ is an essential part of the Australian democratic process.
We are made up of three key business areas, Drafting, Publications and Corporate Services. Each of these business areas are vital in achieving our Mission.
It is not uncommon to see what you have been working on featured in the media. Examples of particularly interesting and impactful recent work include the instruments under the Biosecurity Act prepared at great speed during the COVID pandemic, the proposed changes to the Constitution for the Voice referendum, the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act, and the Administrative Review Tribunal Act.
Our Values are ingrained principles that demonstrate what matters most to us and we align our ways of working to these. We pride ourselves on being Trusted, Professional, Responsive and Collaborative.
Our people are our greatest asset and the health and wellbeing of our people is our first priority. We grow and develop our people to ensure we sustain our expertise and exceptional talent and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace.
We want our people to feel they belong and for OPC to be a place where they can contribute, grow and thrive. We know that in order for each individual to bring their best self forward, a sense of belonging must first be established. We enable genuine participation and contribution, where everyone, regardless of their background, identity or circumstances feels valued, accepted and supported to thrive at work.
In summary, we offer a flexible, inclusive and supportive work environment with a range of attractive benefits that enables a balanced work and personal life. It’s because of all of these things that we attract and retain talented staff and we are very proud of this.
We welcome your interest in working with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel. We look forward to hearing from you.
Hear from our staff
Our people feel a sense of belonging and our supportive culture provides a place where people are valued for their skills, experience and professionalism.
We have 3 workgroups: Drafting, Publications and Corporate Services. Here is a link to our organisation chart.
- Our work is important, interesting, and meaningful - OPC people said that they enjoy the work at OPC because it provides an intellectual challenge that is interesting and rewarding. It is work where attention to detail is important and valued, and where there is satisfaction from achieving a goal.
- We feel valued and supported - OPC people said that they enjoy working at OPC because they have a sense of belonging and work with great people. People described their colleagues as “clever, committed, passionate, approachable, helpful, dedicated, introverted, warm, fun”. But mostly they said “I get to work with my friends”.
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We are supported to learn and succeed - OPC people said that there is an emphasis on learning and developing rather than just getting the job done. They value being trained by skilled experts, who support and inspire their development. Continuous learning is an expectation backed by the investment of time and attention.
“Before joining OPC I worked as an instructor on some legislation and I was just blown away with how clever and amazing the drafters were, I think OPC has some of the brightest legal minds in the country and it was the opportunity to work with such outstanding colleagues that attracted me to joining OPC and has kept me here all these years. It is an honour to work for an organisation that does such complex and difficult work to such a high standard for the benefit of our nation.”
Samara, Senior Drafter
“I came to OPC after working in a completely different field, and have learnt a lot about the legislative process since I started working here. The Publications team has an amazing training program and a very supportive, feedback-based culture. In my role as a Publishing Officer, I get to use my attention to detail and problem solving skills in a practical setting as well as working with a great bunch of like-minded people!”
Dinusha, Publishing Officer
“I love working at OPC. I’ve been here several years and in that time I feel I have achieved a lot and made some great friends. I like working in a small agency because I can see the direct impact of the work I do and I have a lot more influence, as there are fewer layers of decision-making. At OPC my expertise is valued, and my professional development is supported. I am encouraged to network across the APS with professionals in my field and I can make best practice change happen. It’s very satisfying.”
Sue, Corporate Services
Our people
Our people feel a sense of belonging and our supportive culture provides a place where people are valued for their skills, experience and professionalism.
Our people help us achieve our strategic goals in areas such as:
- Drafting of Commonwealth legislative instruments
- Publications
- Federal Register of Legislation
- Corporate Services
Here is a link to our organisation chart.
Employee Census
The APS Employee Census is an annual survey used to collect information from employees about their experience working in the APS.
We are proud of our results. You can find them on our Corporate Reporting webpage, together with our action plan. We encourage you to take a look.
OPC maintains a strong positive sentiment for employee engagement, willingness to ‘go the extra mile’, pride in and commitment to OPC and clarity of role and purpose. Our lowest results related to our technology and our ability to manage heavy workloads. These are both areas we are actively focussing on.
Want to know how OPC compares with the rest of the public service in 2024?
- Employee Engagement Index - 5th out of 104 agencies.
- Leadership Immediate Supervisor Index - 13th out of 104 agencies.
- Leadership SES Manager Index - 3rd out of 104 agencies.
- Communication Index - 6th out of 104 agencies.
- Enabling Innovation Index - 26th out of 104 agencies.
- Wellbeing Policies and Support Index - 5th out of 104 agencies.
At OPC, we actively engage with our Census results to celebrate and maintain our employees’ support, while listening to their feedback on how we can improve.