Tessa Coy

7.00 AM

Time to wake up and get ready for work! The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) is flexible with start and finish times – I’ll try to get into work quickly so I can finish up a bit earlier this afternoon.

8.30 AM

Arrive at the ANAO. Commuting in Canberra is a breeze compared to other cities, it only takes me five minutes to drive to work. Our office is in a central location, only a block away from Parliament House.

8:45 AM

Run to grab a quick coffee before my first meeting. There are lots of options for good coffee nearby – today I’ll go across the road to my favourite café, Ritual.  

9.00 AM

Time for my first meeting of the day. My main role at the ANAO is in financial audit, but as part of the graduate program I was lucky to be selected to do a six-month ‘Executive Rotation’ - this means that I work alongside the Auditor-General and Deputy Auditor-General every day. I have the opportunity to sit in on most of their meetings, which is a unique opportunity to develop my understanding of what it takes to manage an organisation.

This morning we are attending the weekly Operational Committee meeting. During this meeting the Executive Directors from each service group provide an update on the performance of their group, and the committee discusses any operational issues that come up.  I aspire to work in a senior role one day, so this rotation has been really beneficial to see what an executive role really looks like. Where else would you get the chance to work with the heads of a federal government agency?

10.00 AM 

After the meeting wraps up, I head back to my desk. I spend some time replying to emails, then do a quick scan of the news to read any articles mentioning ANAO audits. Now it’s time to tidy up the minutes I took during the meeting and send them out to the executive staff. Doing a rotation outside of financial audit has helped me develop a range of different skills such as writing and research. The ANAO values staff with well-rounded skills, we are encouraged to spend time working in different teams for our development.

12.00 PM

Lunchtime! During my lunch break I catch up with some of the other grads to hear about what everyone’s been working on. Being part of a grad program is a fantastic way to build connections with people working in different roles, such as performance audit or data analytics. Catching up with the other grads keeps me up to date with everything happening around the office. The ANAO accepts grads with a range of study backgrounds, our cohort has an interesting mix of people!

2.00 PM

Time for another meeting. Our afternoon meeting today is to review one of the ANAO’s performance audit reports. The audit team has finished working on the draft report, so now the Auditor-General and Deputy Auditor-General will provide their feedback. It’s important to comb through the language in our all reports carefully to ensure everything is unbiased and supported by evidence. ANAO audits cover topics across the entire public service, so attending these meetings has given me an insight into a wide range of issues in different entities. For anyone looking to progress their career in the public service, it’s unlikely that you’ll learn more about how our government works anywhere else than at the ANAO. I’ve learned so much about government during my first year here.

4.30 PM – I’ve finished work for the day, it’s time to head home. Working in the Australian Public Service means I am lucky to enjoy great work-life balance. During busy periods I do sometimes work longer hours, but I get all additional hours back as Flex Leave. I think I might take a few hours of Flex this Friday afternoon so I can catch up with friends for an afternoon drink!

7.00 PM

It’s time to play sport – tonight, I’m playing soccer. On other nights I also play in a netball and multisport team. There’s an active social sport scene in Canberra, joining a team is a good way to meet grads from other departments. All departments have a grad intake at the start of the year which means thousands of young people move to Canberra from around Australia. I found it really easy to meet people and make friends when I moved up at the start of the year.

8.00 PM – Finish our game, we won! It only takes me 15 minutes to drive home, across to the other side of Canberra. I enjoy driving past Parliament House on my way home, it’s a great feeling knowing that my work helps contribute to the public sector.

11.00 PM – Time to get some sleep.