Lawyer, APS6, AER (EA2025/227)

• Do you wantto work at an agency where each day reveals new opportunitiesto work on some of the biggest issues facing consumers andbusinesses and have opportunities to pursue new and excitingpathways?
• Do you wantto work at a place where smart and dedicated people from allwalks of life collaborate to work on meaningfulmatters?
• Do you want to work in a complex and challenging fieldand contribute specialised legal services to Australia's EnergyRegulator?

Then this isthe place for you! At the AER, we work to make energyconsumers better off, now and in the future. We focus on ensuring asecure, reliable and affordable energy future for Australia as ittransitions to net zero emissions. Our high performing culture isbuilt on a foundation of care, support and inclusion. It'swhy we're driven by connection and collaboration, sharing ourskills, knowledge and support with each other freely andfrequently. It's why we prioritise the wellbeing of ourpeople and empower them to work autonomously, flexibly andcourageously. We believe the best version of you is the onethat's true to who you are - and that's the youwe want working alongside us.

We value flexibility,this role can be performed at any of the AER offices located inAdelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, or Sydney and areavailable on a full-time, part-time or job-sharebasis.

Applicants fromdiverse backgrounds including First Nations peoples, people withdisability and those from different cultural backgrounds areencouraged to apply.

TheLegal Branch forms part of the AER's Legal, Corporate andInformation Services Division.

TheLegal branch provides specialised legal services to the AER.The AER is conferred with regulatory functions pursuant to theCompetition and Consumer Act, the National Electricity Law andRules, the National Gas Law and Rules, the National Energy RetailLaw and Rules.

With thepending legal separation, we are increasing our corporate andgovernance legal work, including procurement and freedom ofinformation. On these corporate matters, we work closely withour ACCC colleagues.

There isdiverse work in the Legal Branch, ranging from advising onadministrative decision-making, compliance and enforcement actions,litigation, and public sector corporate governance. The majority ofwork involves the provision of general legal services to assist theAER to make lawful and fully informed decisions, to comply withlegislative and policy requirements in its regulatory andadministrative activities, and to conduct litigation to enforce theenergy laws. Some positions will also require knowledge of laws andpolicies related to the corporate operation of a Commonwealthagency.

The workof the Branch is complex and intellectually engaging. Our purposeis to work collaboratively within the AER and with itsstakeholders, and to advise using a partnership approach thatfocusses on practical, lawful outcomes. We will maintain ourindependence of advice and ensure that we comply with our ethicaland professional obligations as lawyers.

What you will do as the Lawyer

As a Lawyer, you will:

• Assist in providingadvice on economic regulation, administrative decision making,and other regulatory matters under Australian energy laws, aswell as involvement in enforcement investigations andlitigation as technical experts, administrative law issues, andstatutory interpretation of Australian energy laws and otherrelated laws.
• Assist in providingadvice on legal policy and legislation development, includingidentifying and monitoring opportunities for amendments toAustralian energy laws.
• Assist with theconduct of litigation, including court and tribunal proceedingsinvolving the AER, and provide assistance to the AER in theperformance of its dispute resolution functions in relation toAustralian energy laws.
• Assist withnegotiating and drafting intergovernmental agreements thatrelate to the conferral of powers and functions on the AERunder State energy legislation.
• Assist in providingadvice on public sector corporate governance legal issues thatarise under relevant legislation and policies.

As partof these overall duties, the day-to-day duties of Lawyers willinvolve some or all the following:

• Assist in providingadvice on complex issues relating to the regulatory functionsand powers of the AER, includingthe Competition andConsumer Act (to the extent that it is relevant to the work ofthe AER),the National Electricity Law and Rules,theNational Gas Law and Rules,the National Energy Retail Lawand Rules andother relevant legislation
• Assist otherlawyers (normally Senior Lawyers and Principal Lawyers) throughthe conduct of legal and related research into routine andcomplex matters relevant to the AER responsibilities underAustralian energy laws and other relevantlegislation.
• Provide legal inputfor AER determinations, publications and information programsregarding Australian energy laws.
• Workcollaboratively with ACCC colleagues, to assist in providingadvice on issues relating to the public sector corporategovernance applicable to the AER (including those arising underthe PGPA, FOI, Public Service and Privacy Acts, the Fair WorkAct and WHS legislation and the handling of confidentialinformation).
• Develop andmaintain professional relationships at all levels within theAER to assist the AER Legal Branch to provide responsive clientservice.
• Develop andmaintain professional relationships with relevant public sectorofficials in stakeholder agencies (including the AER'sportfolio Department and agencies).
• Develop internalresources and provide training to staff on relevant areas ofthe law.
• Assist withmanagement of the provision of external legal services(including in relation to specialist legal advice on mattersincluding, for example, employment law and majorprocurements).
• Assist in guidingand mentoring others, including staff who are new to the workof the AER.

About you

In orderto succeed in the role, you will have:

• Youmust have been admitted as a practitioner, however described,of the High Court or the Supreme Court of an Australian Stateor Territory. You must be eligible to hold (and must maintain)a practising certificate issued in an Australianjurisdiction.
• Experience as alawyer (generally 3+ years post admission orequivalent).
• Ability to getacross unfamiliar legislation quickly; including a willingnessto explore, collect and harness new information.
• Demonstratedexperience working collaboratively and collegiately acrossteams and with people at different levels, and to distil andcommunicate legal advice clearly to a range ofaudiences.
• Strong written andverbal communication skills, with the ability to influence,persuade and negotiate effectively.
• Experience inenergy laws, administrative law and decision making, statutoryinterpretation, regulatory litigation, and/or public sectorcorporate governance issues is highly desirable.

To findout more about us and the role, please read the CandidateKit.

How to apply

You willbe asked to respond to the statement of claims of no more than 800 words andsubmit your resume with key outcomes or what you are most proud of in each role you have held (2 pages maximum).

Salary:$99,562 - $111,590 per annum (plus 15.4% superannuation)

ApplicationsClose: 11:00pm (AEDT), Sunday 9 November 2025