Gender equality
Gender quality in the Australian Public Service is supported by actions to improve both working conditions and workplace culture.
Gender equality in the workplace has advantages for employees, agencies and the Australian community. It improves employee engagement and wellbeing and builds more positive work environments. It allows the APS to better represent the community it serves. That means more productive and effective public administration.
In 2023–24, APS bargaining created common conditions to support gender equality. These conditions include clauses related to family and domestic violence support, respect at work, equal parental leave entitlements, and flexible work.
The Australian Public Service Commission has developed guidance to help agencies provide greater support in their workplace arrangements, policies and practices, for employees experiencing family and domestic violence. This guidance provides advice on the implementation of the common conditions in agency enterprise agreements as well as provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009.
Employee development programs and agency guidance have been updated to help prevent, and respond to, workplace sexual harassment, sex discrimination, victimisation and related unlawful behaviours. These reflect changes to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.
Work to improve gender equality in the APS is part of the APS Reform agenda. It complements government initiatives supporting the position of women in the wider community. This includes gender responsive budgeting and putting gender equality and impacts on women at the centre of budget decision-making. The Office for Women has developed guidance material that supports APS policy officers to identify when and how to apply gender analysis in the Budget process.
The APS Academy, in partnership with the Office for Women and the University of New South Wales, has developed a postgraduate microcredential on gender impact analysis. Crafting Inclusive Policy for Gender Equality equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to engage in gender analysis across various public policy fields. The focus is to make gender visible in public policy processes and outcomes and promote social and economic equality. Following a successful pilot, the University of New South Wales will facilitate its first cohort in early October 2024.
The APS Gender Equality Strategy 2021–26 aims to embed gender equality in all that the APS does. It promotes shifting gender norms, normalising respectful and flexible workplaces and asking leaders to hold themselves to account for demonstrating gender-equitable and inclusive behaviour.
Progress has been made against most of the strategy’s 30 actions, including minimum standards, as reported in the interim evaluation of the APS Gender Equality Strategy 2021–26. The strategy has been successful in raising greater awareness of gender equality issues and has received support from leaders across the APS.
At June 2024, women in the APS have equal or greater representation at every level from APS 1 to Senior Executive Service (SES) Band 2. The SES Band 3 cohort is nearing gender parity, with women now representing 49.1% at this level. The APS achieved its lowest-ever gender pay gap in December 2023, at 4.5%.
See also in this report
Working in the APS – APS-wide bargaining
Working in the APS – Sex Discrimination Act changes
Fit for the future – A Strategy for Gender Equality
Find out more
Australian Public Service Commission (2024) Family and domestic violence support, APSC website, accessed 28 August 2024.
Prime Minister and Cabinet (2024) Gender Responsive Budgeting: Including gender analysis in budget proposals, PM&C website, accessed 27 August 2024.
APS Academy (2024) Crafting Inclusive Policy for Gender Equality, APS Academy website, accessed 28 August 2024.
Australian Government (2022) Australian Public Service gender equality strategy 2021–2026, Australian Public Service Commission website, accessed 30 September 2024.