Salaries and conditions of service

Non-senior executive service recruits to the Department are engaged on probation as ongoing employees of the Australian Public Service and are entitled to the terms and conditions of employment outlined in the Department's Collective Agreement (PDF - 362KB).

The standard terms and conditions of employment for all ongoing DFAT employees include flexible working hours, a comprehensive superannuation scheme and leave provisions as follows:

• 22 days paid recreation leave per year
• four weeks (20 days) paid personal/carers leave per year (credited annually in advance)
• fourteen weeks paid maternity leave (after 12 months of service with the department) for each confinement, and an additional forty weeks maternity leave without pay
• fifty two weeks paternity leave without pay after the birth (or adoption) of a child
• three months (or 6 months on half pay) paid long service leave after ten years service

Other leave with or without pay is available to departmental officers, including ceremonial, study, defence reservist and jury service leave.