4.45 AM

My alarm goes off! I am most productive in the morning, so the earlier I get my day started, the better.

5.15am

I arrive at the gym and usually meet a friend. Some mornings we’ll do a Yoga or Pilates class together, other days we train on the gym floor. Either way its nice to do something for myself first up in the day, and the socialising is a bonus too!

6.30 AM

I get home, make a coffee and get myself ready. Some mornings I walk to work and utilise the end-of-trip facilities to get ready, but today I am catching the ferry. My partner works in the city too, so its nice to commute together some days.

7.15 AM

We head down to the ferry. Its not the fastest way to get to work, but its very pleasant.

8.00 AM

I arrive at the office. The team I am doing my rotation in, Governance and Constitutional Services at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, is the Secretariat for the Executive Council, so there are lots of interesting matters we deal with. This week is a Parliament week, and there are some Bills intended to be passed. Our team coordinates the Constitutional requirement for a message of the Governor to be given to the Legislative Assembly. This process requires us to take a trip to Government House to have the message signed, so I am heading off to do that this morning. My manager finalises the documents, I print everything off, and jump in a taxi to Government House.

8.30 AM

I get to Government House and arrange with the Governor’s Aides to have the message signed. Now to Parliament House to get it tabled!
 

9.00 AM 

I visit the Tables Office to table the message and provide all the necessary documents. It’s a quick process, as its something the team does quite routinely. My team does a lot of routine work, but its great to see what happens when things reach this end of the policy cycle!

9.15 AM

I arrive back at the office and file any necessary documents. I say hello to my colleagues that arrived while I was gone, and pop downstairs for a quick coffee with another grad. A perk of working in 1 William Street is that there are plenty of other grads around to grab a coffee with!

9.45 AM 

I am back at my desk and finalising the documents required for this afternoon’s meeting of Executive Council. These happen every Thursday, so a large part of the week is spent preparing and coordinating documents. Again, it’s a process the team undertakes each week – so they are a well-oiled machine! There are lots of different things that require Governor-in-Council consideration, so it’s a good opportunity to see what different portfolios exist across government and the different kind of work they do.

10.15 AM 

I tune into Parliament TV to watch Question Time and Ministerial Statements. Doing this gives me a good indication of Government priorities and current hot issues. It goes for an hour, so I listen while I continue my other work.  

10.30 AM 

I send out a Memorandum to the offices of today’s attending Ministers. This ensures they know the location of the meeting, and what time they need to arrive. Two Ministers attend each week.

11.15 AM

Today’s Executive Council meeting is over at Parliament House. We take basic stationery like pens and procedure cards, as well as a name plaque for the Governor. I pack all of this into a trolley to make it easy to transport.

11.30 AM

I take an earlier lunch so I am back with plenty of time before I go to Parliament House! I have a packed lunch and eat it in the kitchen. The kitchens in the building are very spacious and usually quite social.

12.15 PM 

I get back from lunch, check that all documents are printed and ready for the meeting, and head across to Parliament House. My role is to set up the room where the meeting is held, which includes laying out any documents that need to be signed by the Governor, procedure cards for the Ministers, pens and information on the matters proceeding to the meeting. It’s a cool experience getting to go to Parliament House, Government House and big meeting rooms in 1 William Street pretty frequently!

1.10 PM 

The Governor and Ministers arrive for the meeting. They are greeted by a Clerk of the Executive Council, who is my Executive Director or Associate Director-General. I do not attend the meeting, I stand outside and chat to the Governor’s Aides, or Ministerial staff if they accompanied the Minister to the meeting. The meetings are usually quite quick so we make conversation while the meeting happens.

1.45 PM

Once the meeting is over and the Governor and Ministers have left, I gather everything from the room. All the documents have now been signed, so I make sure they are secure. All Executive Council matters are confidential.

2.00 PM

I arrive back at the office and unpack. There is lots of filing, copying and scanning to do after the meetings, so we can ensure we maintain accurate records. Each Department also comes and collects a signed copy of any matters they had approved that day, so I prepare their copies quickly.

3.00 PM

Departments come and collect their copies. It’s also a nice chance to catch up and has been a great way for me to build a network across government.

4.00 PM

I make sure all my filing is done and the documents are all secured away. I check that I have no outstanding tasks for the day and make a note of anything I need to do tomorrow. I say goodbye to the team and head home! I either walk or get the ferry, normally dependent on weather. Today I choose to walk, which is a nice way to unwind after a busy day.

4.45 PM

I arrive home and unpack my bags.  I enjoy a scroll on my phone while I wait for my partner to get home.

5.45 PM

My partner arrives home, so we chat and recap our days. Most nights we’d normally start making dinner around this time, but tonight we have tennis with my brother and his fiancé! We are terrible, but it’s a bit of fun.

8.00 PM

We finish up at Tennis and usually get takeaway on the way home. We get home and get ready for bed, between a book and some trashy TV. I try to be in bed by around 9 so I get a good 7-8 hours, ready for another day tomorrow.    

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