Then and Now: Brewing a career in Finance

Date

09 November 2026

Then and now brewing a career in Finance

This year Finance recognises its 50-year anniversary. To celebrate our people who make us who we are today, we will be sharing some stories from our Then and Now series. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane to see how Finance has evolved over the last 50 years.

Meet Richie, from our Digital ID and Data Policy Division:

“I ran the Beancounter Café between 2008–2015 when Finance was based in the John Gorton Building. At the time, I had no idea it would mark the beginning of a connection with the department that continues nearly 20 years later.

The café became much more than a workplace – it was where I met countless Finance staff, learned the rhythms of the department and built relationships with people across every level of the organisation. Every day brought new conversations, familiar faces and a front-row seat to the culture of Finance.

In 2015, I took a leap into something completely different and joined Finance as an APS3 in the Parliamentary Superannuation team within Governance and Resource Management. It was both exciting and daunting. I was leaving behind a role and environment I knew well and stepping into a world filled with new systems, new language and new challenges.

Over the next 11 years I have worked across many areas of the department, progressing to an EL1 level through the support of my colleagues, mentors and leaders who encouraged me to take on new challenges.

As Finance celebrates its 50th anniversary, I feel fortunate to have experienced the department from two very different perspectives. While much has changed, what has remained constant is the calibre and generosity of the people who make Finance what it is. The friendships, experiences and lessons gained along the way are what I value most.”