Benefits and support
Discover how we look after the people keeping Australians and Australia's interests safe
A rewarding career
Working for the Australian Federal Police lets you develop a career path that provides interest, challenge, growth and flexibility.
Whether you’re looking to become a police officer or protective service officer (PSO), fill a specialist role or work in a support capacity, you will experience a career that provides unique challenges and rewards.
It’s also a career that offers generous benefits and entitlements, enabling work/life balance and the opportunity to work in different regional and international locations, plus extensive support services to provide any help that’s needed.
Salary and leave entitlements
Certain entitlements may vary between categories of AFP employment depending on your work location, type of work, working pattern and access to flexible work opportunities. However, standard salary and leave benefits include:
- Clear salary progression governed by the AFP Enterprise Agreement and AFP Executive Level Enterprise Agreement
- Six weeks (30 days) of paid annual leave per year (with options to purchase additional leave, take leave at half pay and cash out leave)
- Four mandatory rest days per year
- 18 days of paid personal leave per year
- 16 weeks of paid maternity leave (after 12 months of service) for each confinement, and an additional 36 weeks of maternity leave without pay
- Paid long service leave after 10 years of continuous Commonwealth service
- Adoption leave and compassionate leave provisions available.
More benefits
Other key benefits include:
- Comprehensive superannuation measures
- 40-hour working week (subject to flexible working requirements)
- Career advancement and investment in your professional development
- Team-based work environment based on mutual respect and cooperation and free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.
When I first became a mum to two adorable girls, I valued my role with the AFP more, because I had so much job stability. I’m actually able to say I’m astounded by the level of support that I was given, to remain away from the workplace and raise my children, and then when I returned, the flexibility that I was given to return to basically any role that suited me.
I still serve as a reservist and the AFP allow that, so [it’s] a good work-life balance.
Support services
To provide help when and where it’s needed, the AFP provides a suite of holistic health and wellbeing services to support AFP employees throughout their careers. These are provided by a range of skilled professionals, including psychologists, chaplains, social workers, health and fitness advisers, nurses, mental health nurses, rehabilitation case managers and welfare officers.
This network of services provides support to employees and their families and can help facilitate pathways to professional help or other forms of assistance.
The AFP’s primary health support service is Organisational Health, which provides a suite of health and wellbeing services to support all AFP employees.
There are five diversity-focused employee networks:
- National Women’s Advisory Network
- Malunggang Indigenous Officers Network
- Pride and Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer Networks
- AFP Ability Advisory (AAA) Network
- CALD Network
Frequently asked questions
The AFP provides and maintains a flexible work environment that enables all employees to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Depending on the position, this can include part-time work, job sharing and individual flexible work arrangements.
The AFP encourages life-long learning to assist staff to meet current and future demands of their role. To enable this, all ongoing AFP employees at all levels are eligible to apply for our Tertiary Study Assistance Scheme. This can include study leave and partial financial assistance.
There are countless possibilities once you are in the AFP. These include relocating to a command in a different location and transitioning from a specialist or support staff role to a police officer or protective service officer role. All promotion opportunities are merit based.
16 weeks of paid maternity leave (after 12 months of service) for each confinement, and an additional 36 weeks of maternity leave without pay.
Read more about maternity leave in the AFP Enterprise Agreement 2017-2020
Certain entitlements may vary between categories of AFP employment depending on your work location, type of work, working pattern and access to flexible work opportunities. However, standard leave benefits include:
- Six weeks (30 days) of paid annual leave per year (with options to purchase additional leave, take leave at half pay and cash out leave)
- Four mandatory rest days per year
- 18 days of paid personal leave per year
- Paid long service leave after 10 years of continuous Commonwealth service.
Read more about the AFP’s generous leave entitlements and other conditions.
Clear salary progression governed by the AFP Enterprise Agreement and AFP Executive Level Enterprise Agreement.