What we offer you

We offer clear salary progression, generous conditions, working from home and a flexible and supportive culture.

On this page:

Pay and conditions

Our employee entitlements, including salary scales, are outlined in:

Working with us, you will have access to:

  • clear and transparent salary progression
  • superannuation contributions of 15.4%
  • flexible working arrangements
  • study assistance, which may include paid or unpaid leave and contribution towards costs
  • generous leave entitlements.

Supportive culture

My work is appreciated, and I feel that the workplace cares about my wellbeing. The flexible work arrangements allow me to have a good work life balance.

- Senior Communications Adviser, based in Melbourne.

We take pride in our supportive and people-oriented culture. We take a collaborative approach to help you bring your best to work.

Some of the ways we support our staff include providing:

  • excellent managers to help you do your best work – our supervisors and managers were ranked in the top 8% of Australian Public Service agencies in the 2024 APS Employee Census
  • employee network groups including for LGBTQIA+ staff and allies, disability and carers’ interest group, and First Nations people
  • free and confidential counselling for you and your immediate family when you need help, including assistance and support for family and domestic violence situations
  • access to paid leave for employees experiencing family and domestic violence, in addition to existing leave entitlements.

Flexible work

We offer a range of flexible working conditions and provide generous benefits so you can achieve your professional and personal goals. In our 2024 census results, 94% of our staff said that they are satisfied their flexible working arrangements meets their needs.

Some of the flexible work options that might be available to you include:

  • working from home
  • flexible working hours between 7am and 7pm
  • part-time work arrangements
  • job sharing
  • compressed work weeks
  • purchased leave.

Flexibility applies to every role at the FWO, and all employees can request a flexible work arrangement. Every employee is given the same consideration and access to flexible work – every employee, at any age, and at any stage in life.

Our genuine commitment to flexible work is reflected in our 2024 census results where 93% of our staff said they use flexible work options, significantly higher than the overall Australian Public Service rate of 76%.

Working from home

We don’t impose caps on the amount of time that you can request to work from home. Each request is considered on its merits and approved wherever possible.

Generally our staff work from home 60% of the time, with the remaining 40% of time spent in the office.

This approach gives you flexibility plus the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and connection with colleagues and helps build a productive and balanced work environment.

However, everyone’s circumstances are different, and we’ll work with you to find an arrangement that fits you and the agency.

Additional leave

We offer our staff a range of generous leave entitlements, including:

  • paid time off from 12:30pm on the working day immediately prior to Christmas Day to the first working day after New Year’s Day (in addition to your annual leave)
  • 18 weeks paid leave for the primary caregiver of a newborn or newly adopted child
  • 8 weeks paid leave for the secondary caregiver of a newborn or newly adopted child, increasing to 18 weeks by 2027
  • 18 days paid personal/carers leave for every 12 months of service, provided in full at the start of employment, then credited monthly in subsequent years
  • 10 days paid disability leave
  • long service leave (3 months paid leave after 10 years of service)
  • paid compassionate and bereavement leave, with discretion to approve additional leave for cultural or religious obligations
  • 3 days cultural leave per calendar year
  • 6 days First Nations ceremonial leave over 2 calendar years, plus one day per year to take part in NAIDOC (National Aboriginal Islander Day of Observance Committee) week activities
  • 3 days per year of volunteering leave
  • paid time off for blood donations and vaccinations
  • paid emergency response leave
  • option to purchase leave or take leave at half-pay
  • option to request to take a declared public holiday on a different day.

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