From 1 October 2026, some minimum wages will increase and the classification structure will change for health professional employees covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020.
The changes come as part of the Gender-based undervaluation – priority awards review.
Increases to minimum wages
The Expert Panel for pay equity in the Care and Community Sector issued decisions on 24 December 2025, 26 May 2026, and 7 September 2026 granting increases to minimum wages that apply to some health professional employees covered by the Health Services Award.
The Expert Panel said the work of these employees has historically been undervalued because of assumptions based on gender, and increases to minimum rates were justified for work value reasons.
Changes to minimum wages applying to health professionals under the Health Services Award will come into effect over 5 phases: 1 October 2026, and yearly on 30 June from 2027 to 2030.
New employee classification structure
From 1 October 2026 a new classification structure for health professional employees will be implemented in the first phase of changes to the Health Services Award.
The new classifications are based on:
- qualifications and years of experience for Level 1 employees
- roles and duties for Level 2, 3 and 4 employees.
For more detailed information on the changes to classifications, you can read the classification translation arrangements provided in Schedule J.4 of the determination.
Updated award
The updated version of the Health Services Award will be published by 1 October 2026. You can also read the determination that varies the award to see the changes before they take effect.
