Australian Public Sector Payroll Grows Again—Now Worth Nearly $250 Billion

The federal government was the fastest growing sector with the average public servant wage now hovering around $100,000 per year.

General view of the Coat of Arms at federal Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on May 9, 2023. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Australia has added more public servants to the workforce in the past financial year, with the increased volume along with pay rises costing taxpayers a quarter of a trillion dollars, or $249.5 billion (US$162.53 billion).

The federal government’s workforce grew by 5.61 percent, while state and territory government numbers rose 2.94 percent last year.