Gender undervaluation – priority awards review
Published 23 April 2025 | Updated 2 March 2026
The Fair Work Commission has announced changes to several priority awards. These changes affect pay rates and also affect some classifications.
On this page:
- What's changing
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award
- Children’s Services Award
- Health Services Award
- Pharmacy Award
- Keep up to date
- Related information
What's changing
The Fair Work Commission (the Commission) has announced changes to the following awards:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award
- Children’s Services Award
- Health Services Award
- Pharmacy Award.
It has made these changes as part of its gender undervaluation review of 5 priority awards.
The changes for each award take effect at different times.
The Commission also proposes to make changes to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award. The Commission is still finalising changes to this award.
We’ll provide more information when it’s available. Please check back here for updates.
Read more about the review at the Commission’s website: Gender-based undervaluation – priority awards review.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award
Classifications and pay rates for dental assistants, dental therapists and oral health therapists in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award are changing.
Changes to the classification structures take effect from the employee’s first full pay period starting on or after 1 January 2026.
Pay rate increases will take effect from the first full pay period starting on or after:
- 1 January 2026
- 1 January 2027, and
- 1 January 2028 (this third stage is only for some classifications).
There are also changes to the knowledge and cultural skills requirements for Generalist Health Workers (Grade 3) and Advanced Health Workers – Care (Grade 4).
Learn more at Changes to pay and classifications in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award.
Children’s Services Award
Some classifications, pay rates and allowances in the Children’s Services Award are changing.
These include:
- a new classification structure
- changes to minimum pay rates
- changes to percentages used to calculate some allowances.
The changes take effect from the employee’s first pay period starting on or after 1 March 2026, with further pay increases to come.
Learn more at Changes to the Children's Services Award.
Health Services Award
Classifications and pay rates for some employees in the Health Services Award are changing.
These changes take effect from the employee’s first full pay period starting on or after 1 April 2026 and apply to:
- dental assistants, and
- pathology collectors.
The Commission is also considering further changes for health professionals under the Health Services Award.
Learn more at Changes to the Health Services Award.
Pharmacy Award
Minimum wages for pharmacists (including pharmacy interns) covered by the Pharmacy Award will increase by 14.1%.
The increase will be applied in 3 stages on:
- 30 June 2025
- 30 June 2026
- 30 June 2027.
The first increase applied from the employee's first full pay period starting on or after 30 June 2025.
Pay rates also increased from 1 July 2025, due to the Annual Wage Review.
Pay rates that apply from 1 July 2025 are available to calculate in our Pay and Conditions Tool.
You can also download a pay guide from our Pay guides page.
Keep up to date
To stay up to date and be notified when our information is updated, subscribe to our email updates.
You can also visit the Commission’s page Gender-based undervaluation – priority awards review.
You can also follow us on social media for other announcements and reminders.
