SES Band 1 salary and the national full-time average
The SES Band 1 salary is the base pay for the lowest tier of the Senior Executive Service in the Australian Public Service. It is a senior executive role with significant responsibility, and its pay is set by the Remuneration Tribunal or through enterprise agreements. The exact figure is not included in the ABS surveys that underpin this site, so we cannot give a precise number here. However, we can compare where it typically sits against the national full-time average.
The national full-time average
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes Average Weekly Earnings twice a year, for May and November. The latest release, for May 2026, shows that full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings were $2,083.70. Multiplied by 52 weeks, that gives an annual figure of about $108,352. This is the line on this site. The ABS also reports that the seasonally adjusted average for all employees (full-time and part-time) was $1,579.20 per week, but the full-time figure is the most relevant for comparing senior salaries.
Medians and the minimum wage
For a fuller picture, the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey (August 2025) gives median weekly earnings. The full-time median was $1,887 per week (about $98,124 per year), and the all-employees median was $1,436 per week (about $74,672 per year). The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week on a 38-hour week, which is about $52,255 per year. Award minimums rose by 4.75% from that date. These figures show that the SES Band 1 salary is far above the typical worker's pay.
Where SES Band 1 sits
SES Band 1 salaries are generally well above $200,000 per year, placing them in the top few percent of Australian incomes. For comparison, the top tax bracket (45% plus Medicare levy) starts at $190,000 in 2026–27, so many SES Band 1 roles fall into that bracket. The average weekly earnings for managers (the occupation group closest to senior executives) was $2,800.90 per week in August 2025, or about $145,647 per year, but SES Band 1 is higher still. The exact figure depends on the agency and any additional allowances.
State and territory averages
The full-time average varies by location. The highest is the Australian Capital Territory at about $119,090 per year, reflecting the concentration of APS roles. Western Australia is next at about $115,825, then New South Wales at $109,658. The lowest is Tasmania at $96,008. SES Band 1 salaries are typically set nationally, so they exceed all state averages.
Using this site
If you have a specific salary in mind, you can Place a salary on the line to see how it compares to the national full-time average. You can also explore States and territories for regional differences, or Job medians for occupation-specific data. For more context on how the figures are set, see How the figures are set.
Summary
The SES Band 1 salary is not directly available from the ABS data used here, but it is clearly well above the national full-time average of $108,352. It is a senior executive role with pay that reflects high responsibility and is typically in the top income brackets. For the official current rate, refer to the Australian Public Service Commission or the Remuneration Tribunal.