Pay and Gender at AGD

Employer statement on pay and gender

We are committed to being a leader in workplace gender equality, and have undertaken voluntary gender pay gap analysis since 2022. We welcomed the publication of public sector gender pay gaps for the first time in 2025.

The gender pay gap measures the difference between the average earnings of women and men. It does not reflect unequal pay for the same or comparable work. The analysis excludes other gender identities due to privacy considerations associated with small cohort sizes.

As at 31 December 2024, our average total remuneration pay gap was 6.5%. This is higher than the public sector industry benchmark of 4.7% for organisations with 1,000 to 4,999 employees. However, our gap continues to narrow over time. Internal analysis shows our base salary gap has decreased by 1.2 percentage points since 2022.

Despite this, our pay gap is wider than we would like to see and does not yet reflect the progress we are making to improve the representation of women in senior leadership roles and to build a supportive and inclusive workplace culture. 

We have undertaken internal reporting and analysis over several years, which has informed the development and implementation of our Gender Equality Action Plan 2023-25.

Internal analysis

Several factors contribute to our gender pay gap. Our primary driver is the distribution of men and women across classifications. At the time of this analysis:

  • Of 656 men, 30% were at the EL2 level or above.
  • Of 1,613 women, 22% were at the EL2 level or above.

(See Figure 1.) 

This distribution also interacts with the larger pay gaps observed at senior classification levels. This means a higher proportion of men occupy senior roles, which has a greater effect on average pay. The number of SES positions in the Australian Government Solicitor Group amplifies this effect.

Gender Equality Action Plan 2023-25

We are committed to further narrowing the gender pay gap and addressing gender-related barriers in the workplace. The Gender Equality Action Plan 2023-25 (the GEAP), informed by the APS Gender Equality Strategy 2021-26, sets out actions across 6 focus areas:

  • leadership and accountability
  • respectful workplaces and empowered people
  • shifting gender stereotypes
  • flexible ways of working
  • improved gender data, and
  • leveraging our external influence.

Since releasing the GEAP, we have delivered a range of initiatives to improve equity and workplace culture. These include

  • introducing mandatory sexual harassment prevention training for all EL2 and SES staff (with a completion rate of 82% as at 31 December 2025)
  • redeveloping our candidate information kit to avoid reinforcing gender stereotypes
  • securing Australian Breastfeeding Association ‘Best Practice’ workplace accreditation
  • improving parental leave provisions and enhancing flexible work arrangements through enterprise bargaining.

Gender equality benefits everyone, and our workforce plays a critical role in achieving it. All employees are expected to be active and equal partners in supporting gender equality and building a workplace where everyone can participate fully – at home and at work.

Figure 1: Representation by gender as at 31 December 2024

AGD Gender Pay Gap 2024

Figure 1 compares the distribution of male and female staff across classifications. Representation is equalised to show proportional distribution by gender.