The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) this week urged the Federal Government to address Indigenous pay gaps in the Australian Public Service (APS).

CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agencies were under-funded and staff received lower pay rates than colleagues in other APS agencies working at the same level.

“The fact remains that public service agencies with higher levels of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees tend to have much lower pay rates,” Ms Flood said in a statement.

According to CPSU analysis, 80 per cent of staff in the Commonwealth agency Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL) were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. However, AHL staff at the APS 1 entry level earned around $10,000 less than other APS 1 staff in higher paid agencies.

The call for action follows Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Closing the Gap statement, delivered to Parliament on Wednesday.

Ms Flood said action on closing the gap should begin at home, within the Government’s own workforce.

“While we welcome the Closing the Gap measures announced by the Prime Minister, we believe the Government can and should do more to address the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pay gaps in its own workforce.”

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