Jobs and Career paths

Correctional Officers keep correctional facilities running safely and smoothly. Their job covers everything from crime reduction and rehabilitation to helping people develop key life skills. Some of the key responsibilities of a Correctional Officer include:

• interacting with prisoners and detainees
• helping people resolve issues and get support
• managing health, safety, and security
• ensuring everyone follows prison rules and regulations
• rehabilitating prisoners and detainees and getting them job-ready
• helping people prepare for release and reintegration into society

For more information about Correctional Officer roles, please visit the Tasmania Prison Service Careers website.

The work of a Probation Officer is varied, interesting, challenging and rewarding. Each day is different and the opportunities for growth is ongoing.

Probation Officers help protect the community by supervising people who have offended and are on community-based orders. They do this by addressing offending behaviours, providing opportunities for rehabilitation and helping to ensure offenders comply with Court orders.

A day in the life of a Probation Officer varies greatly. It can include:

• interviews for reports with people going to Court for sentencing
• check-ins and home visits with people on orders
• providing case management support helping people work on the challenges in their lives

Working together with other stakeholders and agencies, Probation Officers case manage individuals with a focus on compliance with their order and enhancing the wellbeing of the person, and with a goal of reducing the risk of people reoffending.

Probation Officers work in different teams to undertake specific tasks, including managing Community Service, Supervision, Parole, Home Detention and High Risk Offender Orders. At the heart of the role of a Probation Officer is the ability to work with people using their communication and problem-solving skills.

Probation Officers are trained in and use skills such as

• motivational interviewing
• risk assessment
• case planning with individuals who have been required by the Court or Parole Board to undertake a community-based order

This work can be on an individual basis or in a group setting, and can include programs which focus on addressing specific offending attitudes and behaviour change.

For more information about Probation Officer roles, visit the Community Corrections website

Inspectors at WorkSafe Tasmania have a genuine passion for the health and safety of people and their workplaces.

Inspectors come from diverse backgrounds. Some have trade experience and some have tertiary qualifications in relevant disciplines. Inspectors undertake extensive on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring before being assessed as competent authorised Inspectors.

Inspectors help improve the systems that workplaces implement in order to prevent workers and others being injured or becoming ill as a result of their work activities. Inspectors also deal with workers compensation and long service leave matters. You’ll often find Inspectors on-site at workplaces, offering guidance to employers, business owners and managers and workers. Their goal is to ensure that workers return home to their families at the end of every day.

A typical day for an inspector may include:

• providing information and advice to business and workers on the laws that WorkSafe administers
• investigating reports of unsafe or dangerous work practices
• investigating complaints about workers compensation matters
• responding to and investigating workplace incidents
• conducting inspections and audits at workplaces
• assessing work health and safety risks to workers and the public
• resolving work health and safety issues
• investigating long service leave disputes

For more information about career opportunities within WorkSafe, please visit the WorkSafe Careers website.

Court clerks are usually allocated to a particular magistrate.  The Court Clerk’s day is busy and varied and often begins by preparing work for their magistrate.

Court clerks are required to set up the court prior to court commencing at 10:00am. This consists of:

• conducting audio/visual checks of equipment
• preparing the court for the magistrate
• getting the magistrate’s work and lists ready after speaking to counsel, prosecution and clients

From 10.00am onwards the court clerk is responsible for:

• co-ordinating the list for the magistrate
• reading charges aloud in open court
• swearing in witnesses
• liaising with security
• managing the magistrate’s work diary
• accurately recording the details of orders which are made in court, on the court file, by hand or electronic means

During the court session the court clerks are also:

• responding to various enquiries via email
• writing up all files
• preparing any relevant documents/paperwork

The court continues to sit all morning, depending on the matters which are listed and the individual magistrate.  This can consist of long hours in court.

The court will generally adjourn for lunch and recommence proceedings at 2.15pm for the afternoon session.

At the end of each session the court clerk must ensure all files from the session are written up, documents/orders produced and files distributed.

When court has concluded, the court clerk prepares reports and statistics, prepares future work, responds to enquiries and provides general administrative assistance to the magistrate as well as support to other members of their team.

Tasmania Legal Aid has 25 Legal Secretaries working across the State supporting the delivery of Civil, Criminal and Family Legal Services.

Our Legal Secretaries work within professional legal teams to deliver legal services to clients with:

• disability
• defence and veterans
• civil
• criminal
• elder abuse
• family
• family advocacy and support
• family violence
• mental health
• youth justice matters

As our Legal Secretaries are responsible for the administration and efficient flow of clients, and legal and court related information, they have daily contact with clients and courts.

A typical day in this role includes:

• preparing and submitting court letters and forms
• creating and maintaining client files
• dictation
• scheduling appointments
• liaising with external organisations
• responding to and directing enquiries from clients, respective courts and tribunals and support services

Our North West Legal Secretaries are also a first point of contact for clients as their role includes Reception duties as well.

Apart from having great administrative skills and an understanding of court process, the Legal Secretary role requires:

• effective interpersonal skills
• organisational and time management skills
• patience
• resilience
• the ability to multi-task
• the ability to meet stringent deadlines

This is a routinely challenging and rewarding role that relies on resilience, empathy and respect for our vulnerable clients and fellow colleagues.

TLA has had many employees work as a Legal Secretary whilst completing their legal studies, and values the long-term members of our Legal Secretary team.

There are great opportunities across TLA to gain a broad knowledge of the legal system and respective laws by working as a Legal Secretary at TLA.

Justice offers corporate and administration roles across our many agencies in:

• change management
• communications
• executive support
• finance
• human resources
• information technology
• policy
• procurement and facilities management
• project management

These roles provide important advice, services and support that allows the work of Justice to continue. They offer a great opportunity to build your career, get a wider perspective on Justice, and progress through different areas and levels across the department.