Ongoing, Non-Ongoing, Casual: APS Employment Types Decoded

The vocabulary nobody outside the APS uses

Australian government job ads use a vocabulary that nobody outside the APS uses anywhere else: ongoing, non-ongoing, specified-term, irregular/intermittent. Each one has different pay, different leave entitlements, different termination rules, and crucially, different conversion pathways into the permanent workforce.

The cynical truth: many candidates take a non-ongoing role hoping it'll convert, and many of those conversions never happen — not because the candidate underperforms, but because the agency never advertises an ongoing role at the same level.

The four types

• Ongoing — Permanent. Full leave entitlements, job security, and career mobility through section 26 transfers.
• Non-ongoing — Time-limited under section 22(2)(b). Maximum 18 months, extendable once to 3 years total. Agencies cannot keep rolling you indefinitely.
• Specified-term — Linked to a project or grant. Read the conditions of engagement carefully for what happens at end-of-term.
• Casual ("irregular and intermittent") — No leave entitlements but counts for super and may qualify you for merit pool placement.

Conversion: myth vs reality

Conversion to ongoing requires a separate merit-based selection process. Your non-ongoing time doesn't automatically convert — but it does build internal credibility and gives you access to internal-only advertisements you wouldn't see externally.

Some Enterprise Agreements (notably ATO and Services Australia) include explicit non-ongoing-to-ongoing conversion provisions. Check the EA on the Fair Work Commission website before accepting an offer.

What's negotiable

• Starting salary point within the classification (usually based on your prior pay)
• Start date (4-6 weeks is normal lead time)
• Location and working-from-home arrangements (governed by EA, but local manager discretion is significant)

How GovPrep helps

Whether you're applying for ongoing or non-ongoing, the panel scores the same way. GovPrep prepares you to demonstrate ongoing-level capability even from a non-ongoing application — strengthening your case for conversion later.