Acting classification

The data on acting classification salary is a snapshot of employees on duties at a higher or lower classification group for a consecutive period of 90 days or more as at 31 December 2013. That is, the employee had been performing acting duties ongoing since at least 3 October 2013.

Acting classification salary has not been included in any of the key remuneration component reporting. Note that acting duties may be performed with payment for shorter periods, but this information has not been collected.

There were 9,354 employees, or 6.2% of the workforce, reported to be acting on temporary assignment to a different classification level and had been performing the acting duties for at least 3 months or more. This has reduced from 2012 when 10,188 employees, or 6.6% of the workforce, were reported to be acting on temporary assignment to a different classification level.

The values shown in Table 4.1 are the salaries paid to employees undertaking acting duties. The median values, when compared with the Base Salary Table 2.1 shows that the acting salaries tend to be between the 5^th percentile and Q1 values. It demonstrates that employees undertaking higher duties tend to receive salaries at or near the bottom of the higher classification salary range.

Table 4.2 shows the number of APS employees who were performing acting duties by the acting level and their substantive classification. This table also provides data on employees on temporary assignment at a lower classification level to their base classification.

Geographic/locality allowance

Table 4.3 provides data for a cluster of allowances, variously described across agency enterprise agreements, which relate to a particular locality or geographical region. Examples of such allowances include: disturbance allowance, district allowance, remote localities assistance, leave fare and overseas allowance. It excludes disability related allowances such as location–specific hardship allowances: see Section 4.3.

For all classifications, 6.1% of APS employees received a geographic or locality allowance in 2013; 8.0% of the SES workforce and 6.1% of the non-SES workforce.

From Table 4.3 the classifications with the highest proportion of employees receiving a geographic/locality allowance in 2013 were the Graduate and APS 3 classifications. This is consistent with 2012 findings. The EL 2 and APS 4 classifications had the lowest proportion of employees in receipt of geographic/locality allowances.

The Graduate and APS 3 classifications had the lowest median of allowances received, with the SES 3 classification with the highest median.

Compared with 2012 figures, the median amount paid in geographic/locality allowances decreased for 4 of the classifications, and the average payment decreased for 6.

Disability allowance

Disability related allowances are intended to address specific instances where an employee may need to work in circumstances where they are subject to specific discomforts and/or difficulties. These allowances may be applied for situations both within Australia and overseas and may be location and/or duty specific. Examples of disability allowances include, but are not limited to: duty at sea, hardship, inspection certifying dangerous goods, marine crew accommodation, self–contained breathing apparatus, south ocean operations training and working conditions allowances.

In 2013, 3.8% of APS employees received a disability allowance.

Table 4.4 shows that, except for Graduates, non-SES classifications have lower proportions of employees in receipt of disability allowances compared to SES. Excluding Graduates, the proportion of employees in non-SES classifications that received such an allowance ranged from 1.4% of APS 1 employees to 5.1% of the APS 5 workforce. In contrast, the SES levels ranged from 5.9% of SES 1 employees to 7.6% of the SES 3 workforce.

Although they had the highest proportion receiving a disability allowance, Graduate employees received the lowest median disability allowance of $530. The highest median disability allowance of $42,096 was at the SES 3 classification.

Particular hardship locations, including overseas, have contributed significantly to the amounts paid.

Additional duties/responsibilities allowance

The additional duties/responsibility allowances include, but are not limited to, First Aid Officer, Fire Warden and Workplace Health & Safety Officer allowances. Additional duties data does not include higher duties or partial higher duties. For information on higher duties, see Section 4.1.

The classifications which tend to have additional duties that attract an allowance are at the APS 5, APS 3 and APS 6 levels, in order of the classification with the highest proportion of employees who received such an allowance. The non-SES classifications with the lowest proportion of employees who received additional duties allowance in 2013 were the Graduate and EL 2 classifications.

The proportion of the whole workforce that received an additional duties allowance in 2013 has remained unchanged from 2012.

The additional duties at the SES classifications are a reflection of the need in some agencies for SES level employees to be available at all times to take on additional duties at times of crisis. This is more likely to occur in agencies with a presence overseas.

The median amounts paid were generally consistent across all non-SES classifications. This may be a reflection of enterprise agreement provisions providing allowances of similar value for the additional duties, based on the duty not the classifications. The range of amounts paid for an additional duty varies depending on the nature of the additional duty. For example First Aid Officer and Fire Warden duties attract a lesser amount compared to Use of Force allowance. However First Aid Officer and Fire Warden duties are more numerous and hence represent the values at P5, Q1, median and Q3 in Table 4.5.

The average amounts paid reduced in 2013 compared with 2012 across all classifications except for Graduates and APS 4.

Note: Examples of an additional duties/responsibilities allowance includes, but is not limited to:  first aid, warden, supervisory, Fire Warden, Occupational Health and Safety Representative, patent examiner translation, special duties, use of force, Workplace Harassment Contact Officer, workplace responsibility, workplace support allowance.