The sums paid to departmental secretaries and other top public servants have grown beyond the expectations of the public, but reform should be done with the scalpel, not the chainsaw.

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Two secretaries now collect remuneration packets worth more than $1 million per year and more will follow soon, if the independent body in charge of their pay continues to issue basic pay rises over coming years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has found himself in an awkward spot on this issue.

On the one hand, Mr Albanese's most trusted adviser in the public service now earns nearly $400,000 per year more than he does.

But on the other, being seen to devalue the work of public servants would be dangerous political territory for a government that spent much of its first term talking up its respect for the integrity and expertise of the APS.

"The fact that the review has been asked for speaks for itself," Mr Albanese said when asked about the issue on Monday.

While it's unclear if the Prime Minister had any involvement in asking the Remuneration Tribunal to look into pay, the current probe seems to have been set in motion by Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie.

In January last year, Senator Lambie introduced legislation proposing that the earnings of departmental secretaries be drastically slashed by capping remuneration at $438,000.

"Departmental secretaries have important responsibilities, and their pay should be........

© Canberra Times