The Department of Home Affairs' troubling week has continued, a public service-wide survey revealing only one-third of the agency's employees feel fairly paid for their work.
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The 2023 APS census, released on Wednesday, has provided an insight into what staff across all 104 public service agencies really think about their workplaces, including whether they are properly remunerated.
Analysis of the results by The Canberra Times found the Home Affairs department returned the lowest result out of the 16 main departments, plus the Australian Taxation Office and Services Australia.
Just 34 per cent of respondents in the agency agreed with the statement they felt fairly remunerated for their work, taking into account salary and superannuation.
The beleaguered department has consistently ranked worst in this year's census results out of the main agencies with regards to bullying and harassment, attitudes to leadership, and on whether or not they would recommend their agency as a good workplace.
The results have come just days after Home Affairs lost its secretary Michael Pezzullo, who was found to have breached the APS code of conduct on 14 occasions, including in relation to allegations he used his power for personal gain.
Who was dissatisfied on pay?
![Stephanie Foster, right, takes over running Home Affairs from Mike Pezzullo, who was secretary during the survey period. Pictures by Keegan Carroll Stephanie Foster, right, takes over running Home Affairs from Mike Pezzullo, who was secretary during the survey period. Pictures by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/3BUUzmFAhrhLyX9rFCubPq5/a2fec803-2fa1-48db-9ade-eaaf10b45170.jpg/r0_0_3840_2159_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
APS staff across agencies appeared to be largely displeased over pay, with an average of only 52 per cent of respondents saying they felt fairly paid across in their workplaces.
The APS census also revealed only 40 per cent of Defence staff, and 45 per cent of Services Australia employees, felt fairly remunerated.
This marked a 14-point drop from last year's results for Services Australia - an agency still struggling to recover following the damning findings in this year's robodebt royal commission.
The Taxation Office also faced a 15-point decline in pay satisfaction, only 50 per cent of respondents voting "yes" to the pay question this year.
Who was happy on pay?
At the other end of the spectrum, Department of Treasury employees were the happiest of the 18 agencies on pay, 75 per cent saying they were adequately compensated.
The education, social services, health, finance, employment departments, along with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, followed closely behind, all returning results greater than 70 per cent.
The Community and Public Sector Union has raised concerns this year over service-wide pay conditions, saying staff were struggling to keep up with rising cost of living.
The census results have come as the main public sector union on Thursday announced its members voted to endorse the Public Service Commission's service-wide pay offer.
It means public servants are likely to endorse a pay rise of 11.2 per cent over three years when they vote on their agency enterprise agreements.
The Public Service Commission announced an additional one-off bonus as part of the offer last Thursday, and forced eight-month long service-wide talks on pay and conditions to a close.
What about other conditions?
The census told a similar story when it came to how staff felt about their non-monetary employment conditions, such as leave, flexible work arrangements, and other benefits.
Again, Services Australia and Home Affairs ranked at the bottom, with 64 per cent and 65 per cent of employees answering they felt satisfied with their conditions.
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Defence fared better on this question, 76 per cent answering "yes" on this question - two points higher than the APS-wide average result.