An AFR analysis of wage data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that Victoria has the highest public sector wages among the states and territories.
The figures show that full-time adult weekly cash earnings for Victoria’s public sector workers was $2,083 in November 2020 ($108,316 per year), which is $333 per week more than private sector workers earn. Victoria’s public servants also earn $4,800 more than their counterparts in NSW, despite having lower living costs.
Meanwhile, total weekly earnings for public sector workers in Victoria increased by 22.9% in the six years to November 2020. This compares with an average of 18.1% across all states and territories over this period.
