Scott Morrison has criticised ABC staff for rejecting his request to take a six-month pay freeze.
Staff at the national broadcaster have instead voted to give themselves a two per cent raise.
The prime minister said on Thursday more than 100 other commonwealth agencies and federal politicians had agreed to freeze their wages.
Mr Morrison said many in the private media industry were also taking massive pay cuts.
"And so both to their fellow public servants and those in the media industry in particular, I was surprised," he told Sydney radio station 2GB.
The ABC pay increase, which is due to take effect this month, was included in an enterprise agreement endorsed by the Fair Work Commission in January.
