Chapter 4: Total Remuneration Package
Total Remuneration Package (TRP) covers Base Salary plus benefits. It excludes bonuses and shift and overtime payments, which are included in Total Reward (TR).
TRP includes Base Salary plus:
- employer superannuation contribution
- motor vehicle cost/Executive Vehicle Scheme or cash in lieu of motor vehicle
- motor vehicle parking
- any other benefits and supplementary payments.
Superannuation is the main component captured in TRP above Base Salary.
The overall movement in median TRP across all classifications from 2016 to 2017 was an increase of 2.8%. This ranged from 1.4% at the APS 3 level to 3.0% for APS 2 employees (Table 4.1). Accounting for employee numbers at each level, the weighted TRP median increased by 2.3% for non-SES employees and 1.9% for SES (see Appendix A3: Table 1b).
| TRP P5 | TRP Q1 | TRP median | % Change | TRP Q3 | TRP P95 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Grad | 65,218 | 66,646 | 68,817 | 70,471 | 72,974 | 74,689 | 2.3% | 73,806 | 75,479 | 78,808 | 81,801 |
| APS 1 | 45,586 | 46,527 | 49,919 | 51,367 | 55,371 | 56,275 | 1.6% | 57,997 | 58,760 | 60,872 | 62,137 |
| APS 2 | 57,032 | 59,215 | 59,699 | 62,125 | 63,581 | 65,488 | 3.0% | 66,143 | 67,982 | 69,204 | 71,220 |
| APS 3 | 64,108 | 66,355 | 67,128 | 69,347 | 72,116 | 73,114 | 1.4% | 74,678 | 76,011 | 77,646 | 80,186 |
| APS 4 | 72,117 | 74,281 | 78,097 | 79,431 | 80,031 | 82,300 | 2.8% | 82,741 | 84,819 | 85,127 | 87,509 |
| APS 5 | 80,082 | 82,290 | 85,351 | 86,992 | 87,762 | 89,679 | 2.2% | 90,330 | 92,418 | 94,114 | 96,036 |
| APS 6 | 90,626 | 92,984 | 99,749 | 101,530 | 103,305 | 106,046 | 2.7% | 106,614 | 109,291 | 111,132 | 113,759 |
| EL 1 | 115,770 | 118,548 | 124,246 | 127,106 | 128,987 | 131,714 | 2.1% | 131,645 | 134,399 | 139,344 | 142,191 |
| EL 2 | 140,453 | 144,000 | 154,635 | 158,142 | 160,578 | 164,067 | 2.2% | 168,072 | 170,563 | 189,591 | 189,480 |
| SES 1 | 212,628 | 217,789 | 228,132 | 233,429 | 243,083 | 247,790 | 1.9% | 254,348 | 258,964 | 272,895 | 276,398 |
| SES 2 | 271,400 | 277,558 | 290,347 | 299,104 | 305,066 | 310,641 | 1.8% | 319,996 | 328,009 | 349,658 | 358,001 |
| SES 3 | 348,602 | 364,075 | 384,662 | 392,202 | 410,874 | 420,420 | 2.3% | 319,996 | 433,951 | 475,351 | 481,555 |
| All employees | $67,037 | $69,652 | $80,082 | $82,300 | $92,881 | $95,416 | 2.7% | $121,537 | $124,556 | $164,589 | $168,290 |
Total Remuneration Package trends
Figure 4.1 presents a comparison of median TRP by classification in 2013 and 2017. Increases in TRP over the last five years are similar to Base Salary with the graduate and SES 3 levels having the largest increases over the period. At the SES levels increases in TRP are lower than those for Base Salary showing variation in the proportion that superannuation contribution, motor vehicle allowances and other benefits contribute to overall remuneration.
Figure 4.1: Median Total Remuneration Package by classification, 2013 and 2017
In 2017 there were increases and a slight widening in range for several pay bands accompanied by a more even distribution within most bands.
The salary range for TRP is shown in Figure 4.2. There were slight increases and variations in TRP pay ranges, similar to Base Salary. However, the top of the range was more evenly spread in 2017, particularly in the lower classifications.
Figure 4.2: Total Remuneration Package range by classification, 2016–2017
Superannuation
Most APS employees are enrolled in one of the following superannuation funds:
- Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS)
- Public Sector Superannuation (PSS)
- Public Sector Superannuation Accumulation Plan (PSSap).
PSSap is the default fund for employees engaged under the Public Service Act 1999 who do not exercise choice of an alternative valid retirement savings account. The CSS and PSS funds were closed to new entrants on 1 July 1990 and 1 July 2005 respectively.
There is a clear trend of employees at the EL and SES level having higher membership in the closed public sector funds (Figure 4.3). In the case of CSS members, these employees joined the public service more than 27 years ago.
Figure 4.3: Percentage of employees by super fund and classification, 2017
Memberships in CSS and PSS are falling over time, in line with their being closed to new members (Figure 4.4). Conversely, membership in PSSap has grown over time as newly engaged APS employees continue to enter this fund. There has also been growth in membership of Other funds, which could be linked to the growth in Self-Managed Super Funds, or the existing funds that employees have retained from prior employment.
Figure 4.4: Employee headcount by super fund and year 2013–2017
