Chapter 1: Introduction
Purpose
The Australian Public Service (APS) Remuneration Report provides an annual snapshot of remuneration across the APS. The purpose of the report is to document remuneration trends based on data collected from APS agencies as at 31 December 2019. This report is available in HTML and PDF versions and can be downloaded from the Australian Public Service Commission’s (APSC) website at: www.apsc.gov.au/remuneration-reports
Inclusions and exclusions
This report covers employees engaged under the Public Service Act 1999, including Graduate employees.
Casual employees, locally-engaged staff, employees on leave without pay, and those classified as Trainees or Cadets are excluded. Agency Heads and public office holders are also excluded as their remuneration is set by the Remuneration Tribunal.
Valid data for the 2019 report was received for 133,356 APS employees. 2,698 were Senior Executive Service (SES) and 130,658 were non-SES employees. For further information on the size and shape of the APS as at 31 December 2019, see here.
Executive remuneration management policy
The APS Executive Remuneration Management Policy provides that total remuneration should not exceed 65% of the lowest pay point of the Secretaries structure. The policy applies to all classifications. For details see: Executive Remuneration Management policy. The APS Commissioner can approve remuneration above this point where compelling circumstances apply.
APS classifications
This report presents remuneration data using the classification system outlined in the Public Service Classification Rules 2000: www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2014C01338 A number of agencies use ‘local’ classifications in addition to the approved APS classifications. Remuneration data for local classifications has been assigned to the corresponding APS classification for the purposes of this report.
Workplace Bargaining Policy
APS agencies negotiate their own workplace arrangements within a policy framework established by the Australian Government. During the coverage period of this report, the Workplace Bargaining Policy 2018 allowed for remuneration increases up to an average of 2% per annum.