Benefits and conditions

We offer our employees a range of benefits. These include an inclusive workplace, competitive salaries and flexible working arrangements.

Enterprise agreement

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Enterprise Agreement 2024-2027 came into effect on 4 April 2024. This enterprise agreement replaces the Department of the Environment and Energy Enterprise Agreement 2016-2019, the Biosecurity and Veterinary Employees Determination, and the Meat Inspectors Employees Determination.

To learn more about our updated employment conditions, read our new enterprise agreement:

Diversity and inclusion

As an organisation, we are committed to building a culture where difference is valued and respected, and where we work together and leverage the benefit of our diversity.

We value what each individual contributes and have a number of inclusion networks that support:

• people with an experience of mental health issues
• people with disability
• people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
• people who identify as LGBTIQ
• Women
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Health

We recognise that healthy employees are happier and more productive in the workplace.

Our staff have access to:

• annual flu vaccinations
• other vaccinations (job dependant)
• work health and safety information and training

Learning and development

We offer our staff ways to learn new skills and develop their work potential. This includes:

• on-the-job training
• e-learning courses
• internal assignments
• secondment opportunities
• study leave (for approved external studies)

Work-life balance

Our flexible working arrangements include:

• part-time hours
• job sharing
• paid annual leave
• support for carers
• leave provisions

Our strategies and policies

We are still updating our corporate information. We will release updated strategies and employee policies soon.

Our values

We are a part of the Australian Public Service (APS). This means our staff must adhere to APS values. These are:

• Impartial: the APS is apolitical and provides the government with advice that is frank, honest, timely and based on the best available evidence
• Committed to service: the APS is professional, objective, innovative and efficient and works collaboratively to achieve the best results for the Australian community and the government
• Accountable: the APS is open and accountable to the Australian community under the law and within the framework of Ministerial responsibility
• Respectful: the APS respects all people, including their rights and their heritage
• Ethical: the APS demonstrates leadership, is trustworthy, and acts with integrity in all that it does
• Stewardship: the APS builds its capability and institutional knowledge, and supports the public interest now and into the future, by understanding the long-term impacts of what it does.

Read more about values and conduct of APS employee:

• Employment principles (APSC website)
• Code of conduct (APSC website)

Our Core 4 values

We support the APS values through ‘Our Core 4’. These are the values we believe are important to creating a shared understanding of how we will achieve our Purpose, Objectives and Priorities, and the associated behaviours you can expect when you engage with us (whether you work within the department or outside).

• Working together: We collaborate, share information, and actively look for opportunities to connect across the department, and with our stakeholders, partners and the community. We look after each other, support each other and work as a team.
• Courage: We look for opportunities to innovate, try new things and engage with risk. We call out unacceptable behaviour, and we own up to and learn from our mistakes.
• Diversity: We are a diverse workforce both in who we are and the work we do. We listen to, and draw on the expertise, knowledge and experience of others to get the best outcomes for our department. We are inclusive and acknowledge and respect the diverse cultures and backgrounds that we have in our workforce.
• Excellence: We work to the best of our ability, accept personal responsibility for our work and use data and research to make well-informed decisions.

These values are underpinned by the principles of safety and integrity, recognising the importance and prominence of these responsibilities in our workplace.

• Safety: We are all safety leaders who contribute to building and maintaining a proactive safety culture, where the physical and mental wellbeing of people is prioritised.
• Integrity: We embrace a pro-integrity culture that is ethical, fair and appropriate.