Commitment to Equality
- The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is committed to transparently and accurately measuring gender equality in our workforce. A national security agency depends on a workforce that reflects the diversity, skill and complexity of the environment in which we operate in.
- Since 2022, we have been tracking gender equality metrics and reporting to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) against the six WGEA gender equality indicators. Our 2025 Gender Pay Gap (GPG) outcomes are available on the WGEA website.
Gender Pay Gap Analysis
- The AFP's total median GPG during the 2024-25 WGEA reporting cycle was 12.4%, a slight increase from 12.2% in 2024.
- While we acknowledge this slight increase, we remain committed to making the necessary changes to enhance opportunities for all genders within the AFP.
- The AFP's median base salary GPG was 2.3%.
- As at 31 December 2025, the AFP had a gender-balanced (40/40/20) workforce and gender-balance in key decision-making roles, with 41.6% women in the workforce and 45.2% women in Senior Executive Service (SES) roles.
Key Drivers
- Several drivers have contributed to fluctuations in the AFP's pay gap during the 2025 reporting period and understanding these drivers is critical to accurately analysing pay equity.
- Overall, the AFP has seen general fluctuations in representation of men and women across all band levels and role types. The level of fluctuation is to be expected, and is influenced by labour market availability, broadbanding arrangements, internal promotions and attrition. These fluctuations largely account for the slight changes in the pay gap.
- Despite improvements in women's representation in leadership, patterns of gender segregation remain across workforce groups, the representation in roles that attract additional allowances (such as composite, overtime payments, penalty rates and shift loadings) continue to have a higher representative of men.
- Our representation of women during the WGEA reporting period was:
- Police - 26.6% women
- PSO - 13.9% women
- Professional - 61.2% women
Actions Undertaken to Address the Gap and Amplify Existing Strengths
- The AFP has a partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commissioner (AHRC), guided by the Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, to adopt a human rights-based approach to enduring change that aligns with our priorities of diversity and inclusion.
- This partnership included the Gender Pay Gap & Equity Research Project, which analysed quantitative and qualitative data across five dimensions: pay, equity, retention, development and opportunity. This research has provided a clearer understanding of the key drivers and broader equity issues, helping to shape our ongoing gender strategies.
- In response to the research, the AFP launched it's first Gender Equity Action Plan 2024-2027 (GEAP) in November 2024. The GEAP focuses on embedding changes to processes, structures and supports that members interact with through their career life cycle. The AFP is implementing the initiatives in the GEAP to improve gender equity.
- Implementation of the 2024-2027 Enterprise Agreement improved conditions.
Our Commitment
- Creating an environment that fosters inclusion and celebrates diversity is a key priority for the AFP.
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