APS-wide bargaining
Service-wide bargaining concluded in March 2024, paving the way for reduced fragmentation of pay and conditions across the Australian Public Service. It resulted in 59 common conditions, wage increases over the next 3 years, and substantial improvements to parental leave entitlements and flexible working arrangements in the APS.
Bargaining by individual Commonwealth agencies since 1997 resulted in growing gaps in remuneration and differences in conditions across APS agencies. Addressing this situation better positions the APS to attract and retain the workforce it needs to deliver for the government and the community.
At 30 June 2024, 103 new APS enterprise agreements were operational, delivering improved common pay and conditions to around 185,000 APS employees. The Australian Public Service Commission supports agencies in the implementation and ongoing provision of bargained outcomes.
APS staff will receive pay increases of at least 11.2% over 3 years. The pay fragmentation mechanism will see some of the lowest-paid agencies in the APS providing pay increases of more than 20% over the same period.
Pay fragmentation has a disproportionate impact on agencies with high levels of First Nations employees. The bargained outcomes in pay and conditions will improve mobility, attraction and retention for those impacted agencies. Overall, pay fragmentation has been reduced from 25% to 13%.
Other significant improvements achieved through service-wide bargaining include:
- rights to request flexible working arrangements
- significant parental leave improvements which will see leave entitlements increased to 18 weeks of paid leave for both parents by the end of 2027
- increases to casual loading from 20% to 25% across the APS
- expanded use of personal/carer’s leave, with a minimum of 18 days across the APS
- cultural leave to support and attract a culturally diverse workforce
- provisions to support First Nations employment
- a holistic approach to supporting employees facing family and domestic violence.
Service-wide bargaining attracted very high levels of engagement across the APS. The average participation rate for employees voting on their agency enterprise agreement was 85%. Of these participants, approximately 96% voted in favour of their agency enterprise agreement. This reflects the efforts of all APS agencies to engage with their employees on their new agreements.
The government’s Public Sector Workplace Relations Policy 2023 outlined a framework for service-wide bargaining aimed at reducing the fragmentation of pay and conditions across the APS.
Service-wide bargaining began on 30 March 2023, coordinated by a specialised taskforce in the Australian Public Service Commission. In October 2022, Mr Peter Riordan PSM CF, was appointed as Chief Negotiator and represented the APS agencies that participated in service-wide bargaining.
Find out more
Australian Public Service Commission (2024) APS bargaining, APSC website, accessed 26 July 2024.