CPActive proudly presented the NSW Government Graduate Program Information Session on Tuesday 6^th August, in collaboration with the NSW Public Service.

Hosted by CPActive Steering Committee member, Aman Gopalani, the event included an address by Deputy Commissioner of the NSW Public Service Chris Lamb, a full presentation on the graduate program and a Q&A with members of the NSW Public Service team.

Watch the full event recording here.

For more information to assist you with your NSW Government Graduate Program application, the team at NSW Public Service have created a detailed information pack below.

CPActive will continue to work with NSW Government to create more inclusive school to work pathways.

Good luck with your application!

Yours in Action

CPActive

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One choice, endless opportunities.

Thank you for attending the CPActive Information Session for the NSW Government Graduate Program.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Application process

Applications close on Wednesday 14^th August.

See our tips for applicants guide to help you understand the application process and for guidance on navigating each stage.

Application adjustments are available

The Graduate Program has partnered with Peter Berry Consulting (PBC) to provide confidential application adjustments. PBC will proactively contact candidates who indicate in their application that they may require an adjustment. If you note this on your application, they will provide a detailed outline of the application process, and the steps involved, and invite you to get in touch to discuss adjustments.

We encourage you to request adjustments at any or all stages of the recruitment process. Some examples of adjustments include:

• Providing information in screen reader compatible formats
• Providing people with vision impairment a phone assessment instead of an online assessment
• Providing untimed assessments when required
• Longer break times between activities or extra reading time

Please contact Akanksha Joshi at PBC by email adjustments@peterberry.com.au.

We also have more information for candidates with disability on our website.

Stream

Refer to the overviews for each stream to help you decide which stream best suits you. For the occupation-specific streams, we have information on the disciplines or degrees we are looking for.

Roles available

We have close to 200 roles available in the 2025 Graduate Program. We cannot provide information about specific roles or agencies as these may vary.

You can find out more information about the types of roles available by reviewing the program information and role description for each stream: https://iworkfor.nsw.gov.au/about-the-graduate-program.

While we may have a role that aligns directly with your degree, we ask our graduates to be open to trying different things in each placement.

Placements and work locations

You’ll do three six-month placements in two different agencies. The exception is social work which has two nine-month placements in the Department of Communities and Justice.

Placements are stream specific. There are no cross-stream opportunities.

A graduate’s work location region is the same for all placements. If you choose Sydney and surrounds you will be placed in the same region for all placements. This does not mean your placement will be in the same town or city. For example, if your first placement is in Parramatta your second placement could be in North Sydney.

Working at the NSW Government

You’ll find the NSW Government provides a flexible and supportive workplace culture.

As a person with disability, you can request that workplace adjustments are made to ensure you are able to participate in the workplace on an equal basis. Workplace adjustments will be different for everyone, but some examples include:

• using assistive technology 
• requesting changes to your physical workspace
• modifying the way you work or communicate with others. 

Where different ways of working are required, such as changing work hours or locations, these can usually be managed under flexible working policies. Flexible work practices may vary between agencies and departments, but flexible work practices can include varying your start and finish times and accruing flex time.

Flexible work can also include Hybrid work, allowing you to work from home in line with your agency’s flexible work policies.

Most roles in government have a 35-hour work week, which in combination with flexible work practices helps you to maintain work-life balance.

The NSW Government has a supportive and inclusive culture, and that workplace adjustments are available and will be tailored to your individual needs at the time of onboarding with your new agency.

Program support

You’ll have a placement manager, mentor, and executive sponsor as well as structured learning and opportunities to engage in networking events.

Each NSW Government agency has their own employee assistance program to provide free counselling and support to employees.

Education eligibility

You will need to demonstrate that you have fully completed an eligible degree or will complete an eligible degree between 1 June 2022 and 31 December 2024.

Eligible degrees are those rated by the Australian Qualifications Framework as being level 7 and above (Bachelor Degree, Undergraduate Certificate, Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master’s Degree, Doctoral Degree).

Eligibility – other

You need to meet any essential requirements set out in the role description for the stream you apply for. Please contact the Graduate Program team to discuss any concerns you may have about meeting essential requirements. 

We accept applications from students from outside of NSW. You must be willing to live in NSW for the duration of the Program. Any relocation expenses are solely the responsibility of the graduate.

There is no age limit for applying for the Graduate Program.

Legal Stream – Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice

Legal stream graduates must be willing to study a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) during the program. If you have started studying a GDLP, you are ineligible for the legal stream.

The responsibility for paying for PLT is split between the agency and the graduate. Graduates pay up to $4,000 with FEE-HELP options available.

Contact us

For any questions about the Program or working with the NSW Government, please contact us

Email: nswgraduateprogram@psc.nsw.gov.au

For any questions about application adjustments, please contact PBC

Email: adjustments@peterberry.com.au.

CPActive, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance grassroots disability advocacy platform, together with our campaign community of champions and allies, is proud to mark a new era of advocacy with the launch of the CPActive Champion Steering Committee.

 The Steering Committee’s establishment is driven by our passionate CPActive Champions ensuring that the voice of lived experience is heard at all levels of advocacy. This is a significant move forward to ensure that CPActive is led by people with disabilities, is a key player in the disability advocacy space and follows the central principal of disability activism and justice: “nothing about us, without us.”

The inaugural Steering Committee members are:

• Aman Gopalani (Sydney)
• Daniel Clarke – Chair (Brisbane)
• Riley Saban (Coffs Harbour)
• Sophie Geeves (Sydney)

One further position on the Steering Committee includes the CPActive Operational team, shared by Teigan Butchers and Skye Brien.

The Steering Committee will work collaboratively with CPA to provide direction and strategic oversight of CPActive’s campaigns and events, and work to progress the advocacy community’s overall mission.

Since its foundation in 2021, CPActive has grown from a small group of disability activists to a community of over 10,000 including; people with lived experience of CP and other disabilities, family members, supporters, disability sector workers and wider allies. The formation of the Steering Committee will amplify and empower these voices by positioning CPActive as a disability-led vehicle for change.

Steering Committee Chair Daniel Clarke, an environmental advocate whose conservation efforts have been awarded the 2021 QLD Young Australian of the Year, said the formation of the group was a milestone to celebrate.

“People with disability have the capacity to make the decisions about what is right for us. Our vision for CPActive is to bring an era of advocacy for people with CP that turns stereotypes about people with disability on its head.”

“With the launch of the Steering Committee, people with disabilities are no longer just being consulted, instead we are driving the change at the highest level”

– Daniel Clarke

The Steering Committee will lead the wider CPActive Champions network – a growing collective consisting of 30 people with lived experience, who are the leaders and voices of the CP community. These Champions operate CPActive’s working groups that are tasked with specific campaigns, such as CPActive’s ‘Blaze the Trail’ campaign for inclusive education and employment pathways.

Member of the Steering Committee, Sophie Geeves, who in addition to her work with CPActive is a policy officer at First People’s Disability Network, commented on the importance of the Steering Committee.

“Through the CPActive Champions Steering Committee, people with disabilities are empowered to organise and campaign on the issues that really matter to us.

This will be a powerful new instrument to drive real change and ensure our society is more equitable and accessible for everyone,”

– Sophie Geeves

Come and meet our Steering Committee at CPActive’s upcoming Lived Experience Lab! Meet the new leaders of our campaign and let us know what you think CPActive should be raising voices for in 2024. A great chance to connect with your community and hear from like-minded people! The event will be run online on the 14^th May at 6pm. Register here!

Want to become a CPActive Champion?
If you are a person living with CP or similar disability and would like to include your voice on our campaigns towards change, sign up as a CPActive Champion today!

Members of CPActive’s ‘Blaze the Trail’ working group have stepped up the campaign for inclusive education and employment policies in a meeting with the Hon Kate Washington MP, Minister for Disability Inclusion.

CPActive Champions Marusha Rowe, Nicole Kozelj, Riley Saban and Saranna Schultz, joined by CPActive lead Teigan Butchers, met Minister Washington and key staff at the MP’s ministerial offices in the Sydney CBD this week to put the ‘Blaze the Trail’ campaign back on the political agenda.

The meeting covered a broad range of topics in education and employment, centered on the lived experience of the CPActive Champions and their personal journeys as young people with CP.

Minister Washington highlighted several areas of progress and updated the Champions on the work being done in the disability space – including the state’s response to the recently-completed NDIS Review, upcoming reforms to the scheme and the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into disability in educational settings.

Even a fire alarm and interruption from the fire brigade couldn’t prevent the hour-long meeting, which enabled the Champions to also have a brief meeting with Steve Kamper MP, Minister for Sport, Small Business and Multiculturalism.

“It was great for our meeting to be heard in the meeting with Minister Washington. I’m looking forward to the next planned meeting to ensure the successful progression of ‘Blaze the Trail’,” said Riley Saban, a 23-year-old disability advocate and start-up founder.

Riley, who journeyed from Coffs Harbour for the meeting, has CP quadriplegia and communicated throughout the meeting using eye-gaze technology.

The meeting follows the relaunch of Blaze the Trail last month, which has resulted in our campaign petition surpassing 1,000 signatures and more than 10,000 people viewing our explainer video across social media.

“The ‘Blaze the Trail’ campaign continues to burn bright, [and] their voices are so important to the work we’re doing in government, to create a more accessible and inclusive NSW,” said Minister Washington.

“Many thanks to Cerebral Palsy Alliance for backing these talented young people to become confident advocates and leaders.”

The next step? Our CPActive Champions will continue to campaign for meaningful change – and you can support us and keep up to date by joining our CPActive community here.

CPActive Champions and CPA staff pose for a photograph in front of NSW Parliament before meeting Kate Washington MP.

It’s been a big few weeks for the disability sector – and CPActive was right at the centre of it!

Just before Christmas, a dozen of our CPActive champions were invited to attend the NDIS Review town hall in Sydney to hear directly from the architects of the NDIS about the milestone review and what it means for our sector.

Importantly, it was also an opportunity for the disability community to come together and speak up about their concerns and feedback.

The event was led by a panel including Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM, Lisa Paul AO, Kirsten Dean, Douglas Herd and Stephen King, as they outlined the ins-and-outs of the NDIS Review.

Some familiar faces joined in on the discussion, too – CPActive Champions!

CPActive Champion Aaryan Shah joined NDIS Minister Bill Shorten and activist (and event host) Elly Desmarchelier on stage for a discussion about lived experience and the future of the NDIS. Aaryan said he was looking forward to how the NDIS can be improved so it’s not a ‘single point of failure.’

“I’m just really taken away by the amount of passion for everyone on the panel and everyone in this room – fighting for so much change and getting the most out of the scheme and the best it can be. I think there’s some really exciting things to come.” – Aaryan Shah

It was a great experience to join so many passionate disability advocates and allies, both in person and online, with more than 700 people in attendance.

CPActive knows how important it is to amplify the voices of lived experiences to improve the way people with disability do – and should – access the care and support they need.

Support also comes from community and the ability to share information and navigate the complexities of the NDIS. Members of our community are optimistic about the review and the much-awaited reform it will bring.

“The NDIS is a complex system at best but this review, while it seems complicated, will hopefully make it easier to navigate and ensure the fairness and accessibility of not just the NDIS but the wider support networks available for people with disabilities.” – Tamsin Colley

Several CPActive champions even kicked on after the official event to say cheers to 2023 and celebrate the year that was. 

Want to join us and make Australia a more inclusive place? Head to CPActive.org.au to get involved!

More than 300 submissions from 30-plus countries gathered over 23,000 votes, helping our judges shortlist the most impactful ideas.

Last week our global CP community gathered for a virtual event to find out the results of the campaign – and we are thrilled to share that the winner for 2023 is Maria Dalmon with her app ‘Help Connect’. Congratulations Maria!

Maria’s idea is the creation of an app would allow people with speech disabilities to effectively communicate their needs to anyone, easing any concerns about being stranded during an emergency situation.

“I am excited at the thought of Help Connect being developed and giving me and other people with speech difficulties the confidence to go ‘out and about’ knowing help is available at the push of a button”, said Maria.

The judging panel assessed competition ideas for potential impact, reach and marketability, with the main focus on funding an idea that can make the biggest difference for people living with CP and similar disabilities.

Pete Horsley, founder of disability tech accelerator Remarkable and one of the competition judges said, “We felt the winning idea addressed all the criteria and demonstrates real potential to be refined into a universally designed solution that could have massive global impact.

“It was great to see a range of ideas received this year and the efforts some applicants went to in representing their thinking through drawings, sketches and videos!”

Along with netting the prize money of USD$5,000, Maria will work with a team of designers, entrepreneurs, and developers to bring her idea to life through Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s disability tech accelerator, Remarkable.

Sophie Marmont won the People’s Choice Award for her idea ‘Steady me!’, an app for people who lack the motor control to assist in steadying and increasing the overall accessibility of a mobile phone. The app can be used for steadying a phone for texting when voice-to-text is not an option, by making the keyboard or dial pad larger and taking photos.

The judges noticed some common themes emerging this year with many submissions around the world highlighting a need to address the gaps in communication technology and basic, affordable low-tech solutions to enhance daily independence.

“This inspires us to keep doing what we’re doing at Remarkable to accelerate more disability innovation to market, ensuring that in time more solutions reach all corners of the planet,” said Pete.

Remarkable is dedicated to harnessing the power of technology and innovation to shape a world of equal opportunity, access, and possibility for people with a disability.

As an organisation, and staunch advocates for people living with CP and similar disabilities, we are so proud of this community. Let’s continue to work together to create a world that provides equal opportunities and possibilities for everyone.

Champions Nicholas Lapsley and Meret Hassanen spoke at a Masterclass panel at the International College of Management Sydney on Diversity in Leadership. Led by Dr Trevor Clark, the Undergraduate Dean at ICMS, the panel explored the importance of diversity in leadership and what we can learn from it.

Nicholas spoke eloquently on the assumptions that others make around people with disability, the limitations that such assumptions create, and how he is always challenging those. He noted the lack of leaders with disability in organisations, which he is actively working to change alongside other champions and the CP community through CPActive and the Blaze the Trail Campaign.

Meret spoke about opportunities, and how she takes every one that is presented to her because it could lead to anything. She shared how her internship at SBS gave her a foot in the door, which led to her current job at ABC as a film producer. She uses her platform to advocate for including people with disability in film production. She expressed her gratitude for all the opportunities that have come up and shared the wisdom of not being too hard on herself.

Our CPActive champions show their leadership through sharing their stories, which are an incredibly powerful tool in creating meaningful change. Part of what makes our community so great is the collection of stories and experiences we bring with us when we come together – and sharing them brings us one step closer to making Australia the most inclusive place to live. 

If you or someone you know is a young person with CP interested in developing their leadership skills, advocacy skills and connecting with others – then stay tuned and keep an eye on your inbox for some big news! Join us at cpactive.org.au and never miss a beat.

It was great to hear a shoutout to CPActive from Hannah Diviney on national ABC show The Drum last Friday! If you missed it, you can listen to the panel discussion starting at the 15-minute mark by checking out the full recording here.

Hannah Diviney is a disability advocate, actress and the Editor-in-Chief of Missing Perspectives, a platform that elevates the voices of diverse storytellers, particularly young women who are often underrepresented in the news industry.

When asked about the impact of COVID lockdowns on potential outcomes in the NSW state election, Hannah didn’t hesitate to highlight the work of CPActive and the campaign commitments – or lack thereof – of most political parties.

“There’s a collective of young people with cerebral palsy … called CPActive, which has been lobbying for changes in education reform, particularly when it comes to how students with disabilities are treated in the education system and addressing some of the inequities that we’re exposed to it in the education system by COVID. Unfortunately, a lot of students fell behind and suffered negatively because they weren’t receiving face-to-face learning or the support that they need.

CPActive has been lobbying for education reform. We’ve had commitment from Chris Minns and the Labor Party, and if they’re elected they will honour and commit to our reform. We’ve had some positive responses from MPs within the Liberal Party, but we haven’t had a response from Dominic Perrottet.”

“Well there’s time yet, you just said it on national television so there you go!” responded Ellen Fanning.

“I would imagine if something was going to get him to respond, it might be this,” said Hannah.

It’s a big win for CPActive to not only be mentioned, but praised on national television for a well-run grassroots campaign.

We look forward to working with the newly elected Labor government to implement the reform designed by our CPActive Champions.

As part of the CPActive Blaze the Trail campaign, CPActive champions organised a ‘Day of Action’ that was held last week at the Allambie Campus.

These young trail blazers took it upon themselves to organise local candidates from all parties in the upcoming state election to hear about the lived experience of CP and to commit to build more inclusive school to work pathways for young people with disability.

CPActive champions welcomed commitments from local candidates from across different parts of the political spectrum that if elected, they will work with CPActive to make the pathways from school to work more accessible for people with disabilities.

Local candidates who attended the Day of Action at CPA Allambie offices and pledged their support were:

Toby Williams, Liberal candidate for Wakehurst

Michael Regan, Independent candidate Wakehurst

Susan Sorensen, Animal Justice Party candidate for Wakehurst

These commitments from local candidates come just weeks after the NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns and Shadow Minister for Disability Kate Washington announced that if elected into government, they will:

• Review supports for assessments at schools to ensure they are clear and consistent for young people with disabilities
• Explore pathways for people with disability to become teachers and support staff
• Improve inclusive employment practices in NSW government departments

With almost 200 new petition signatures in one day, plus the commitment from so many candidates, the CPActive champions consider the Day of Action a success.

“It became a successful day getting so many connections and contacts” said CPActive champion Eric Barrett. “It is great to get the word out to the wider community about what a great initiative this campaign is and it’s potential to keep growing Australia wide.”

“We really need every single person who reads this to join the campaign by signing the petition. By showing your support, you are strengthening the voices of people with lived experience. Every person who joins the campaign gets us a step closer to a better future with less barriers,” Nicholas said.

Sign the petition and share the campaign across your networks today!

On October 14th, CPActive hosted the World Cerebral Palsy Day Awards! It was amazing to come together and celebrate the creativity and innovation of our global community, and it was pretty cool to be joined by some red-carpet superstars.   We were joined by Hollywood superstar RJ Mitte, who reflected “If we provide accessibility to everyone, we can grow as a community better – and I think that’s why we’re all here today is to help our community grow stronger.”  We also had Riley Saban join us, who is a tech entrepreneur and co-founder of PolySpine. Riley told us “Technology invites all people to create, learn, and communicate, as most technology now has acknowledged the importance of difference by including accessibility options. This allows inclusion and will create the most inclusive society we’ve been part of so far.”  And three-time Paralympian Ben Tudhope joined us too! “I’m actually in awe of everyone here… it just shows what we can do and what we can achieve in the future.” We also announced the winner of our World CP Day Innovation Award which was Mothers’ Connection by Rana Zarzour from Lebanon! Rana’s idea rested on the need to develop and use sensor technology to help indicate pain and discomfort for individuals unable to communicate this.   With more than 700 entries, we couldn’t help but also choose a runner-up. We recognized Arnie Slater from the USA who submitted an idea for a self-generating power wheelchair.    Congratulations to Rana, Arnie, and the hundreds of innovators from across the globe.   If you couldn’t make it – don’t worry! You can check out our Facebook live here. Or watch the highlights video here.   If you would like to find out more about some of those amazing entries from the World Cerebral Palsy Day competition, you can head over to the millions of reasons website here.