The People and Organisational Strategy Division, within Corporate and Foreign Investment Group, has primary responsibility for Treasury’s people framework, including strategic workforce planning, performance management, workplace relations, learning and development, inclusion and diversity, recruitment, and payroll services. Treasury’s approach to human resources is guided by the Treasury Workforce Plan.

Performance management

Treasury is committed to the ongoing development of its employees and a high performance work culture through the Performance Development System (PDS). The objectives of the system include:

• continuously improving organisational performance to enable the department to achieve its strategic outcomes and priorities
• providing a framework to improve individual and organisational performance, as well as supporting development and career planning
• providing an approach to ensure regular real-time and meaningful feedback and recognise and reward sustained high performance
• providing mechanisms for managing declines in performance and underperformance.

APS staff levels 1-6 are formally assessed biannually with Executive Level (EL) and Senior Executive Service (SES) staff having one formal appraisal each year. The APS Integrated Leadership System provides the behavioural framework for assessing performance.

During 2019-20, Treasury staff faced significant workplace disruptions, including bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. These events saw a significant portion of our workforce pivot towards flexible work arrangements (including home-based work), be internally redeployed, or undertake new assignments to respond to changing focus and priorities. Our priority was to maintain Treasury’s capability in how it responded to these events, and continue to equip staff to be flexible, agile and resilient, while learning new ways of working.

Workplace relations

Remuneration and employment conditions for Treasury’s APS and Executive Level officers are determined under the Treasury Enterprise Agreement 2018–2021. The enterprise agreement operates in conjunction with Commonwealth legislation and is supported by internal policies and guidelines. The department occasionally uses individual flexibility arrangements to secure specific expertise or specialist skills critical to business needs.

Learning and development

Treasury supports ongoing professional development, and continues to invest in its people to build skills, knowledge and capabilities to meet current and future workforce requirements and to deliver business priorities. A collaborative approach is taken across the department to deliver quality learning outcomes. It is focused on developing targeted and tailored learning and development programs; facilitating on-the-job learning, secondments and exchanges; and delivering flexible and e-learning solutions.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Treasury’s learning and development (L&D) program was redirected towards initiatives focused on building our resilience, agility and innovation capabilities. The use of technology was integrated into the delivery of our L&D programs to enable a flexible delivery of and engagement with our L&D offering.

In 2019-20, a total of 992 employees attended a variety of courses including:

• 217 employees participated in a range of diversity programs
• 55 employees participated in economics and policy programs
• 90 employees participated in management programs
• 111 employees participated in onboarding programs.

Treasury staff also completed 2,698 e-Learning programs, of which 1,973 were compliance, 382 were onboarding, 79 were performance development and 24 were diversity training programs.

Treasury continued to facilitate external learning opportunities for employees through which:

• two employees participated in the Institute of Public Administration Australia Future Leaders Program
• two employees are undertaking PhD study at the Australian National University through the Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Program
• two employees undertook postgraduate level studies with the support of a postgraduate study award
• one employee participated in the Young Leaders Program offered by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo
• three employees took part in the Graduate Colloquium at the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership
• seven employees participated in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Springboard Women’s Development Program
• three employees participated in the Australian Taxation Office’s EL2 Talent Development Program
• EL1, EL2 and SES employees participated in the National Security College development programs.

Additionally, 39 employees were supported through our studies assistance program to undertake university qualifications and vocational training.

Entry level programs

Treasury’s entry level programs remain key recruitment initiatives with 37 participants commencing in February 2020 across three programs. Two participants joined through the Career Starter Program (aimed at school leavers) and two participants joined through the Indigenous Australian Government Development Program, which aims to contribute to improving employment opportunities, experiences and outcomes for Indigenous Australians in the Australian Public Service. The remaining 33 participants joined Treasury's Graduate Development Program – a two year program aimed at recent university graduates. Two participants were recruited through an Indigenous affirmative measures process, further contributing to our Indigenous employee representation. Our 2021 graduate recruitment campaign received 1,120 applications.

Staffing information

At 30 June 2020, Treasury had 1048 operative employees, an increase from 895 operative employees at 30 June 2019.[1] The corresponding full-time equivalent figure was 1,019. An additional 106 inoperative employees are attached to Treasury.[2]

The average staffing level across 2019-20 was 926.2.

Treasury's workforce is increasingly diverse. Half (50.1 per cent) of Treasury's operative workforce are women, 77.5 per cent are under 45 years of age, 3.1 per cent identify as having disability and two per cent identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

At 30 June 2020, women comprised 43.6 per cent of the operative SES cohort, inclusive of higher duties arrangements. Treasury's target for female representation in the SES is gender parity.

Treasury's geographic footprint extends beyond Canberra, with offices established in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, and officers posted or deployed overseas.

SES remuneration

SES remuneration and employment conditions are determined under section 24(1) of the Public Service Act 1999. These are supported by a remuneration model that determines pay levels within each SES level based on performance. Treasury does not offer performance pay. An SES remuneration package is in recognition of all hours worked, including any reasonable additional hours. SES staff are not entitled to overtime payments, penalty rates or time off in lieu. SES staff received a two per cent salary increase on 12 December 2019.

Non-SES remuneration

APS and Executive Level remuneration and employment conditions are determined under the Treasury Enterprise Agreement 2018–2021. APS and Executive Level staff received a two per cent salary increase on 5 November 2019.

Employment arrangements

[1] Figures exclude the Secretary as they are not an employee under the Public Service Act 1999.

[2] An employee is deemed ‘inoperative' if they are on long-term leave (paid or unpaid) or on temporary transfer or secondment to another agency for a period of 12 weeks or more.

[3] Non-ongoing data includes two casual employees. That is, at 30 June 2020 Treasury has 38 non-ongoing (specific term) employees and two casual employees for a total of 40.

[4] Non-ongoing data includes two casual employees. That is, at 30 June 2019 Treasury had 35 non-ongoing (specific term) employees and two casual employees for a total of 37.

[5] SES salary ranges do not include the Secretary as the Secretary's remuneration is determined by the Remuneration Tribunal.

[6] These figures include both ongoing and non-ongoing employees but do not include the Secretary.