Salary at Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C)

Pay is slightly higher in each substantive band than other Government departments, and is commensurate with the work broadly across the Department. There are certain roles or work areas where the pay might be considered a bit below market value, however, other policies such as leave provisions, flexible working arrangements, study assistance, and more should be considered. The Department also pays the APS-standard 15.4% superannuation and offers salary sacrifice options.

It's on the high end for this sector.

Starting salary isn't great compared to some bigger departments, but moving through the ranks seems easier and faster, earning almost 20k more at the end of the program/pa with option for jump to about 30k more in one year.

Could be better- like treasury

Could be better though I recognise it will increase after graduate year.

Should be overtime pay as opposed to flex time. Bonus is necessary considering I work in IT and gov is not competitive enough salary wise.

Pay as a graduate isn't terrible but it isn't great, especially as Canberra is an expensive city to move to. Broad banding through to higher pay grades does make it easier though. Bonuses aren't available.

There are no bonuses.

Not as good as most private organisations but the work is fulfilling and I am more interested in work fulfilment than high pay. There are no bonuses.

Progression is slow. A lot of people work above their pay classification.

Opportunities for advancement are limited by the positions and job numbers available in the team. Some areas of the Department appear to be reluctant to consider acting opportunities at a higher level. Some people are working considerably above level and are not compensated for this.

No bonuses. Pay is very low and promotional opportunities hard to find in the current environment. I was earning more in the private sector three years ago.

The pay is good, but progression, responsibility and opportunities are slower.

You don’t receive bonuses in the public service. Pay is comparable to the private sector at lower levels, but the disparity increases at higher levels.

Department exploits the fact that it is prestigious and competitive to work for PM&C. We don’t get paid commensurate to our responsibilities or to our capacity to influence outcomes across the APS.

It’s pretty good and goes up quite quickly at the start, but it is capped fairly early on. People rarely get rich being public servants!

The best perk for APS levels is undoubtedly flex time, especially at PM&C. Additional or irregular hours sometimes have to be worked to ensure the delivery of specific products but flex policies ensures that juniors receive that back as time off in lieu at a 1:1 rate. If you are working the full-time amount of 37.5 hours per week, then any amount you work over that will be accrued as 'flex', which you can take at any time with manager approval. This also provides flexibility in workday start and finish times within the 7am-7pm bandwidth (inside of which overtime is not paid). Standard hours are 8.30am-5pm with one hour for lunch but flex allows you to work 8am-4pm if you wish, or 9am-5pm with a half-hour lunch break. Accrued flex helps to manage work-life balance as you can use it to attend appointments, run errands and more during business hours where needed (after checking with your manager).

There are many different training and development opportunities and year-round fun events to get involved in. There's also a 'Snack Shack' - a small canteen stocked with all the best treats for you to snack on at any time of day.

I wish we had any perks...

Prestige for working for the department May have more specific perks in specific areas

Moving expenses.

Flex

While the leave policy is relatively generous, as is super, I wouldn't say there are many genuine perks available.

Moving expenses.

Moving expenses, high super.

Taxis, and relocation allowance.

The ability to work on very high level and significant national policy.

I've had several great opportunities to be involved in/work at significant events that our department has had a role in organising.

Getting to attend PM’s events that we may have organised or contributed policy decision making to.

Moving expenses, support to go to training and other development opportunities in Canberra and throughout Australia, fantastic superannuation and the unique opportunities that come up in PM&C (e.g. arranging and attending meetings with the Prime Minister).

You don’t receive perks in the public service. However, superannuation is a lot better than the private sector.