Sui Ng

6.30 AM

After an early rise and a mug of coffee, I head out for my morning run around the lake in Canberra. Nothing clears my head quite like the crisp morning air, and the view in the morning light never ceases to take my breath away. Or maybe it’s my lack of cardiovascular fitness? Hmm…

8.00 AM

After a 6-minute commute on an electric scooter, I’m ready to clock in for work. I make my way up to my workstation with a stunning view of Mount Ainslie and boot my computer up. I take some time to go through my emails, check my calendar for upcoming meetings, and make a brief list of tasks I need to prioritise today.

9.00 AM

I chose the ATO Graduate Program because I’ve heard great things about it – the highest employee satisfaction rate across all APS agencies, the variety of work, the opportunity to be involved in some contemporary issues, are all strong drawcards to choose the ATO Graduate Program over others. 

So far, no two days has been the same for me – I’m involved in two cases on very different areas of international tax law that are quite contentious and currently in different stages of the assessment process, so I’m really getting a good overview of how things work when it comes to dealing with complex tax matters. 

10.30 AM

Time for the second brew of the day. I may or may not have a mild addiction to caffeinated beverages, but I like to tell myself I consume them out of enjoyment rather than the pharmacological effects. I often gather up a couple of mates from my floor and have a little chat in the breakroom and catch up on the latest news around the office.

11.00 AM

My first meeting today is regarding an upcoming case concerning a large global entity and their tax obligations. I report on the work I’ve done so far and make notes on how various stakeholders interact with the case. These meetings are often very insightful and offer a great opportunity in getting an idea of how different teams in our organisation work together to deliver a favourable outcome.

1.00 PM

Lunch time! I’m still trying to get the hang of the mythical ‘meal prep’ terminology people often speak of. However, being the author of the guide to all the lunch spots around the office that has been widely circulated, I take it upon myself to ensure my writing remains relevant – this often involves undertaking the arduous task of repeatedly grabbing lunch from the myriad of offerings within walking distance. Today’s lunch is a delicious crispy pork belly banh mi with my colleague.

1.30 PM

I attend a training session hosted by one of the many great technical minds in the ATO. Today’s training session is about transfer pricing issues and it sure was a riveting 1.5 hours learning about the ins and outs how the law developed in this area. This is probably my favourite component of the ATO Graduate Program – the abundant training available and encouragement from all around to take every opportunity to learn and grow!

3.15 PM

Today, I needed to dash off early for an appointment. Before heading off, I make sure my to-do list is checked off and nothing urgent remains for me to complete before I log off for the day. I also check for any final emails and bookmark anything I might need tomorrow to ensure I can access them easily when I come in tomorrow.

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