Careers in Government

Romina Atai is Coordinator Parks Management and Strategy at Darebin City Council where she is responsible for parks strategic planning, asset management as well as continuous- improvement and innovation.

With her background in health promotion, Romina has a strong commitment to addressing equity and improving health and wellbeing through the natural environment.

Romina began her professional career in Local Government upon graduation from university in 2013 as an administration officer. Working across the various business functions at Council enabled Romina to develop a broad understanding of Council operations, but most importantly to identify what she is most passionate about.

Outside of work, Romina is dedicated to advocating the positive impact of young professionals in Local Government and is co-convenor of LGPro’s Young Professionals Network.

Sian is currently working as a Project Officer at Community Capability, First Peoples – State Relations Group in the Department of Premier and Cabinet where she has been on secondment since May 2020.

Sian started her career in the Victorian Public Service in 2010 after completing a 12 month traineeship at the Broadmeadows Justice Service Centre (JSC) where she stayed on as a Justice Officer and Team Leader across various JSC’s in the North West Metropolitan region. In 2015, she became the second Sheriffs Aboriginal Liaison Officer (SALO) in the state, helping to form the role as more SALO’s were recruited in each region. From here, Sian moved to the Koori Justice Unit in 2017 where she contract managed a state-wide program aimed at reducing negative contact with the justice system for Aboriginal Victorians.

In mid-2020, Sian took up another opportunity to work in a different area and although her work has changed significantly in the last 12 months, moving from a justice lens to the work she is currently doing at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Sian feels really grateful for the ongoing experiences and challenges that learning new work brings and looks forward to her future career across government and beyond.

Dan founded Inspire Group over 20 years with the core belief that better learning is life changing. Inspire Group has grown to a core team of 50 people spread throughout offices in New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia specialising in learning solutions and leadership development.

Dean is currently a Policy, Analysis and Legislation Manager within the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and has held this position since October 2020. He began his career in the ATO as a graduate in 2016 and since then has performed legal roles across the organisation, with a particular focus on data and privacy law.

Dean has also worked across a variety of agencies over his seven year Australian Public Service career, including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation and the National Disability Insurance Agency.  He graduated from the Australian National University in 2014.

Cheng is currently an acting Senior Law and Policy Design Officer at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). In his current role, he is responsible for supporting the administration of legislative processes that seek to address unforeseen or unintended outcomes in Australia’s taxation and superannuation laws. He has also worked on a range of tax policy measures, including measures to combat illegal phoenix activity and improve data sharing between government agencies.

Cheng is a past participant of the ATO Graduate Program and has also worked in the ATO’s lodgment compliance and taxpayer objections areas. He is admitted to legal practice and a registered trade marks attorney. As a Deputy Chair on the YIPAA Advisory Committee, he is committed to contributing to and driving initiatives that support the growth and development of public purpose sector young professionals in Victoria.

Kolina Johnson has been working at Manningham Council for a year and a half as Coordinator Revenue Services. She is responsible for raising the Rates, equating to approximately 75% of Council’s budget. Kolina leads a team of seven who have a total of 135 years of Local Government experience.

Kolina began her professional career in Local Government at Darebin Council as a Customer Service Officer in 2004. She has worked at four Councils across different areas, including Customer Service, Planning, Asset Protection and Accounts Receivable and Revenue Services. This experience has provided Kolina with a greater understanding and broad knowledge of Local Government.

Aside from her day to day role, Kolina is committed to supporting young professionals in Local Government and is a co-convenor of LGPro’s Young Professionals Network.

Emie Boghikian holds the position of Project Support Officer in City Futures at Glen Eira City Council. She works on key projects involving the strategic view on planning the future of Glen Eira’s activity centres, residential areas, streets and key sites.

Emie has worked in local government for 6 years and transitioned across areas including Sport and Leisure, Customer Service, Health and Wellbeing and COVID-19 Response and Recovery.

Having worked in a variety of diverse roles, she has developed transferable skills which she believes are important for the foundation of her future career path. She loves challenges as they are the perfect moment for growth. Emie has been praised for her adaptability and known for her can-do approach to work.

Having majored in health promotion at university, she uses this knowledge throughout her work to ensure the health needs and outcomes of the community are addressed. In addition to her work at Glen Eira, Emie is a co-convenor for LGPro’s Young Professional Network, assisting young professionals in local government to be the best version of themselves.

After working fifteen months with the Department of Treasury and Finance as a Finance Officer and working on the Department’s Aboriginal Working Group to fulfill social obligations set out by the Department’s Reconciliation Action Plan, Esther was then seconded to the community sector to work for an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation as a Business Operations Manager for eighteen months. Esther is now currently enrolled to complete all the required theoretical units of the Chartered Practising Accountants (CPA) Program, and is currently working for the First Peoples – State Relations Group, Community Capability Team in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Esther has a passion for the right to self-determination, community engagement, capacity building and recognition for achievement

Michael is currently a Law Interpretation Officer at the Australian Taxation Office specialising in providing advice and rulings to businesses on the Goods and Services Tax implications of their transactions. Previously, Michael spent more than 5 years in legal policy and law design roles both within the Australian Taxation Office and the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, where he managed the development of new legislation and provided advice on the legal ramifications of new policy proposals. Before entering the Australian Public Service, Michael started his career off at a family law-focused community legal centre in Melbourne, where he supported culturally and linguistically diverse clients with their divorce, parental responsibility, and matrimonial property matters and litigation.

Michael is passionate about supporting new staff and graduates commencing and developing their careers in the public sector. He has managed and mentored staff in all of his career roles, with a particular focus on general people skills, negotiation, expressing empathy in professional settings, and making time for life outside of work.