Aboriginal Health Award pay guide 2026/2027
Pay rates for Aboriginal health workers and practitioners — a practical guide for ACCHOs
Updated • FY2026/27 rates — effective the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026
Written by
Steve Harris
Summarise with AI
This guide provides general information about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award 2020 [MA000115] and related Australian workplace laws as at the date of publication.
It does not constitute legal, financial, payroll or employment advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your organisation, workforce, or circumstances.
Pay rates, penalty rates and allowance amounts under modern awards change periodically, particularly following the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. The figures here are the minimums from the official Fair Work pay guide (published 24 June 2026), effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
This award has been through the Commission’s gender-based undervaluation review, and its classification structure changed on 1 January 2026. Many Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are also covered by enterprise agreements or funding-agreement pay conditions. Always confirm coverage using Fair Work’s Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) before setting or paying wages.
If you need award-specific guidance, see:
Looking for MA000115?
This is it. MA000115 is the official Fair Work code for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award 2020. This guide covers its pay rates, classifications, penalties and compliance for 2026/27.
View official MA000115 on Fair Work →Award rate calculator
Pick a grade and level, set the shift, and the calculator applies the FY2026/27 rate with the right penalty. It covers the health worker and health practitioner stream — the administrative, dental and ancillary streams have their own tables in the pay guide.
See how RosterElf interprets the Aboriginal Health Award
This is an educational example showing how the Aboriginal Health Award penalty rates work. It demonstrates how RosterElf automatically calculates correct pay rates based on classification level, employment type, and shift times.
Award penalty rates
Example weekly cost (38 hours)
Example only - not for payroll use
This is a demonstration of how RosterElf calculates award-compliant rates.
The actual cost for your employees will depend on:
- Their specific classification level and employment type
- Actual hours worked and shift times
- Any additional allowances, overtime, or enterprise agreement provisions
- Current award rates (which change annually in July)
For accurate payroll calculations, always:
- Verify current rates with the official Fair Work pay guide
- Confirm your employees' correct award coverage and classification
- Use award interpretation software or consult a payroll professional
- Review your specific enterprise agreement (if applicable)
Do not rely on this example for actual wage payments.
Stop calculating penalty rates manually
Let RosterElf handle award compliance automatically
Manual award calculations are time-consuming and error-prone. One mistake can lead to underpayments, compliance issues, and Fair Work penalties. RosterElf's award interpretation engine does the work for you.
How RosterElf automates award calculations
Create pay templates
Create pay templates for each classification level with award-compliant base rates and penalty multipliers. RosterElf applies the correct template to each shift automatically.
Award interpretation →Define rate rules
Configure when different penalty rates apply (evenings, weekends, public holidays). The system detects which rate to use based on shift times and days.
Penalty rates guide →Auto-apply to shifts
Every rostered shift calculates the correct pay rate based on the employee's classification, employment type, and shift timing. No manual work required.
Payroll integration →Quick casual pay rates reference 2026/27
Casual hourly rates 2026/27 (ordinary weekday hours)
| Level | Example roles | Casual hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 – Level 1 | Entry-level trainee health worker, working under direct supervision while completing initial training | $35.14 |
| Grade 2 – Level 1 | Trainee health worker progressing through a Certificate III qualification | $37.63 |
| Grade 2 – Level 2 | Trainee health worker in the second year of the training pathway | $38.91 |
| Grade 3 – Level 1 | Qualified Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker delivering primary health care | $40.95 |
| Grade 3 – Level 2 | Health worker with additional experience and a broader scope of practice | $43.09 |
| Grade 3 – Level 3 | Experienced health worker; may mentor trainees | $45.19 |
| Grade 4 – Level 1 | Senior health worker with program or clinical responsibility | $46.45 |
| Grade 4 – Level 2 | Senior health worker coordinating a service area or supervising staff | $47.70 |
| Grade 4 – Level 3 | Senior health worker with substantial autonomy and supervisory duties | $48.80 |
| Grade 5 – Level 1 | Registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner | $49.96 |
| Grade 5 – Level 2 | Health practitioner with advanced practice or team-leadership responsibility | $51.14 |
| Grade 5 – Level 3 | Most senior practitioner classification in the stream | $52.38 |
Quick summary for time-poor employers
- MA000115 covers Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and the health workers, health practitioners and support staff they employ.
- Health worker pay runs from Grade 1 Level 1 ($28.11/hr) to Grade 5 Level 3 ($41.90/hr) for full-time and part-time adults.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours — but not on public holidays, where this award works differently to most.
- Saturday 150%, Sunday 200%, public holiday 250% for shiftworkers.
- The award’s classification structure changed on 1 January 2026 following the gender-based undervaluation review.
Check your classifications, not just your rates
This award’s classification structure changed on 1 January 2026 — dental assistants, dental therapists and oral health therapists moved into the Aboriginal Health Worker structure, and the knowledge and cultural skills requirements changed for Grade 3 and Grade 4. Applying the new rates to the old grades produces the wrong pay.
What the Aboriginal Health Award is
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award 2020 (MA000115) is the modern award for the Aboriginal community controlled health sector. It sets minimum pay, penalty rates, allowances and conditions for staff delivering primary health care in ACCHOs and related services.
It is distinct from the SCHADS Award and the Health Professionals Award, and an organisation can find itself dealing with more than one. Coverage follows the employer and the work, not the job title — confirm it on the Fair Work award summary.
Who the award covers (and who it doesn't)
Covered
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners
- Administrative, dental and ancillary employees of an Aboriginal community controlled health service
- Trainees working towards a health worker qualification
Usually not covered
- Registered nurses and midwives, who generally fall under the Nurses Award
- Allied health professionals covered by the Health Professionals Award
- Staff of a mainstream (non-community-controlled) health service
- Anyone covered by an enterprise agreement that displaces the award
MA000115 or a state award? Check this first
Aboriginal health workers are employed in two quite different systems, and only one of them uses this award.
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs/ACCHSs) — community-controlled services in the national system. MA000115 applies, and the rates on this page are the ones you need.
- State and territory health services — NSW Health, Queensland Health and their equivalents employ Aboriginal health workers and practitioners under state awards or public-sector agreements, not this modern award. NSW, for example, has its own NSW Health Service Aboriginal Health Workers’ (State) Award, and Queensland Health uses its own health workforce classifications.
The job title is identical in both. The pay instrument is not.
How to settle it
Ask who the employer is, not what the role is called. If the employer is a community controlled health service, start here. If it is a state health service, find the state award or enterprise agreement — the rates, increments and penalties all differ. Fair Work’s Pay and Conditions Tool confirms national-system coverage, and our guide to finding the right award walks through the test.
2026/27 pay rates overview: what you must pay
These are the minimum full-time and part-time adult rates for the health worker stream, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
| Level | Example roles | Weekly pay | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 – Level 1 | Entry-level trainee health worker, working under direct supervision while completing initial training | $1,068.10 | $28.11 |
| Grade 2 – Level 1 | Trainee health worker progressing through a Certificate III qualification | $1,143.90 | $30.10 |
| Grade 2 – Level 2 | Trainee health worker in the second year of the training pathway | $1,183.00 | $31.13 |
| Grade 3 – Level 1 | Qualified Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker delivering primary health care | $1,244.80 | $32.76 |
| Grade 3 – Level 2 | Health worker with additional experience and a broader scope of practice | $1,310.00 | $34.47 |
| Grade 3 – Level 3 | Experienced health worker; may mentor trainees | $1,373.60 | $36.15 |
| Grade 4 – Level 1 | Senior health worker with program or clinical responsibility | $1,412.00 | $37.16 |
| Grade 4 – Level 2 | Senior health worker coordinating a service area or supervising staff | $1,449.90 | $38.16 |
| Grade 4 – Level 3 | Senior health worker with substantial autonomy and supervisory duties | $1,483.40 | $39.04 |
| Grade 5 – Level 1 | Registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner | $1,518.80 | $39.97 |
| Grade 5 – Level 2 | Health practitioner with advanced practice or team-leadership responsibility | $1,554.50 | $40.91 |
| Grade 5 – Level 3 | Most senior practitioner classification in the stream | $1,592.20 | $41.90 |
Adult rates for the health worker / health practitioner stream. Administrative, dental and ancillary employees have separate tables in the pay guide.
| Level | Example roles | Casual hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 – Level 1 | Entry-level trainee health worker, working under direct supervision while completing initial training | $35.14 |
| Grade 2 – Level 1 | Trainee health worker progressing through a Certificate III qualification | $37.63 |
| Grade 2 – Level 2 | Trainee health worker in the second year of the training pathway | $38.91 |
| Grade 3 – Level 1 | Qualified Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker delivering primary health care | $40.95 |
| Grade 3 – Level 2 | Health worker with additional experience and a broader scope of practice | $43.09 |
| Grade 3 – Level 3 | Experienced health worker; may mentor trainees | $45.19 |
| Grade 4 – Level 1 | Senior health worker with program or clinical responsibility | $46.45 |
| Grade 4 – Level 2 | Senior health worker coordinating a service area or supervising staff | $47.70 |
| Grade 4 – Level 3 | Senior health worker with substantial autonomy and supervisory duties | $48.80 |
| Grade 5 – Level 1 | Registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner | $49.96 |
| Grade 5 – Level 2 | Health practitioner with advanced practice or team-leadership responsibility | $51.14 |
| Grade 5 – Level 3 | Most senior practitioner classification in the stream | $52.38 |
Casual weekday ordinary rate (base + 25% loading). Public holidays are the exception — see the penalty section.
What changed from 2025/26
The FY2026/27 Annual Wage Review lifted all modern award minimum rates by 4.75%. For this award, for example: Grade 1 Level 1 is now $28.11/hr and Grade 3 Level 1 (qualified health worker) is $32.76/hr (full-time/part-time). Separately, the classification structure itself changed on 1 January 2026 — so compare like with like before assuming a rate rose only by the review amount. Always confirm against the current pay guide.
Aboriginal Health Award pay rates by grade (2026/27)
Grades 1 and 2 are the trainee pathway. Grade 3 is the qualified generalist health worker. Grade 4 covers advanced and supervisory roles, and Grade 5 is the registered health practitioner stream.
Health worker stream at a glance (FY2026/27)
| Grade & level | Hourly | Weekly | Typical work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 – Level 1 | $28.11 | $1,068.10 | Entry-level trainee under direct supervision |
| Grade 2 – Level 1 | $30.10 | $1,143.90 | Trainee progressing through Certificate III |
| Grade 2 – Level 2 | $31.13 | $1,183.00 | Trainee, second year of the pathway |
| Grade 3 – Level 1 | $32.76 | $1,244.80 | Qualified generalist health worker |
| Grade 3 – Level 2 | $34.47 | $1,310.00 | Health worker, broader scope of practice |
| Grade 3 – Level 3 | $36.15 | $1,373.60 | Experienced health worker; mentors trainees |
| Grade 4 – Level 1 | $37.16 | $1,412.00 | Advanced health worker with program responsibility |
| Grade 4 – Level 2 | $38.16 | $1,449.90 | Coordinates a service area or supervises staff |
| Grade 4 – Level 3 | $39.04 | $1,483.40 | Substantial autonomy and supervisory duties |
| Grade 5 – Level 1 | $39.97 | $1,518.80 | Registered health practitioner |
| Grade 5 – Level 2 | $40.91 | $1,554.50 | Advanced practice or team leadership |
| Grade 5 – Level 3 | $41.90 | $1,592.20 | Most senior practitioner classification |
Gender undervaluation: what changed on 1 January 2026
MA000115 was one of five priority awards in the Fair Work Commission’s gender-based undervaluation review — alongside the SCHADS Award, the Health Professionals Award, the Children’s Services Award and the Pharmacy Award.
On 28 November 2025 the Expert Panel issued its decision for this award (AM2024/22), finalising the matter. The changes took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2026:
- Dental assistants, dental therapists and oral health therapists were incorporated into the Aboriginal Health Worker classification structure.
- The knowledge and cultural skills requirements changed for Generalist Health Workers (Grade 3) and Advanced Health Workers – Care (Grade 4).
- Pay rates were adjusted, with further increases from July 2026.
This is why a straight year-on-year rate comparison can mislead: for some employees both the grade and the rate moved.
Re-map before you re-rate. If you employed dental or oral health staff under the old structure, or classified Grade 3 and Grade 4 staff against the previous skills descriptors, those classifications changed on 1 January 2026. Check each employee against the current descriptors on the Fair Work page for this award’s changes before applying the FY2026/27 rates.
How to classify your staff
Classification follows qualifications, registration and responsibility — not job title.
- Grades 1–2 are the trainee pathway, for staff working towards a health worker qualification under supervision.
- Grade 3 is the qualified generalist health worker, and the level most ACCHO staff sit at.
- Grade 4 covers advanced health workers with program, clinical or supervisory responsibility.
- Grade 5 is the registered health practitioner stream — registration with Ahpra is the dividing line, not seniority alone.
- Stream matters. Administrative, dental and ancillary employees have their own tables in the pay guide; do not pay them from the health worker table.
Write each employee’s actual duties down before choosing a grade, then check them against the award descriptors — which changed on 1 January 2026.
The most common misclassification here is paying a registered health practitioner at a Grade 4 health worker rate. If the employee holds Ahpra registration as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner, they belong in Grade 5.
What do Aboriginal health workers and practitioners get paid?
Here’s how the most common roles map to grades and FY2026/27 rates. Use these as a starting point, then confirm the level against the employee’s actual duties. Casual rates are the ordinary rate plus the 25% loading.
Trainee health worker pay rates
A trainee starting out sits at Grade 1 Level 1 — $28.11/hr (casual $35.14/hr). Moving into Grade 2 as training progresses takes that to $30.10/hr and then $31.13/hr (casual $37.63 and $38.91).
Aboriginal health worker pay rates
A qualified generalist health worker starts at Grade 3 Level 1 — $32.76/hr (casual $40.95/hr) and progresses to $34.47 and $36.15/hr with experience and scope.
Senior and advanced health worker pay rates
Advanced health workers carrying program or supervisory responsibility sit in Grade 4 — $37.16 to $39.04/hr (casual $46.45 to $48.80).
Aboriginal health practitioner pay rates
A registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner sits in Grade 5 — $39.97 to $41.90/hr (casual $49.96 to $52.38/hr). Grade 5 Level 3 is the most senior classification in the stream.
Penalty rates and shift loadings
Penalties in this award are built around shiftwork. The percentages below are from the FY2026/27 pay guide.
Penalty rates (percentage of the ordinary base rate)
| When worked | Permanent | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours (day) | 100% | 125% |
| Evening shift (finishes between 7pm and 7am) | 115% | 140% |
| Night shift (starts between 7pm and 7am) | 115% | 140% |
| Night shift, more than 4 weeks in a row | 130% | 155% |
| Saturday (shiftworker) | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday (shiftworker) | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 150% |
The public holiday rate is the one to check twice
On every other penalty the casual loading stacks normally — Saturday is 150% + 25%, Sunday 200% + 25%. Public holidays do not follow that pattern in this award: the pay guide prints the casual public-holiday rate at 150% of the base, below the 250% a permanent receives, because the penalty substitutes for the loading. It looks like an error and is not. Confirm against the current pay guide before running a public-holiday pay period.
Worked example: a Grade 3 health worker on a Sunday
Scenario
A permanent Grade 3 Level 1 health worker works 8 hours on a Sunday as part of a shift roster.
Calculation
Grade 3 Level 1 base hourly rate: $32.76
Sunday shiftworker penalty: 200%
$32.76 × 2.00 = $65.52 per hour
8 hours × $65.52 = $524.16 for the shift
A casual at the same grade would be paid 225% ($73.71/hr), because the 25% loading stacks on the Sunday penalty.
Stop calculating MA000115 penalties by hand
RosterElf's award interpretation engine applies this award's shift, weekend and public-holiday rules automatically from each shift's times — including the public-holiday casual rule that catches people out.
See award interpretationFull-time vs part-time vs casual
- Full-time — 38 ordinary hours a week, with leave entitlements under the National Employment Standards.
- Part-time — fewer than 38 hours, with agreed regular hours. Pro-rata leave, same hourly rate.
- Casual — 25% loading instead of paid leave. Casual conversion runs through the employee-choice pathway, not an employer offer.
ACCHOs often run outreach and clinic rosters side by side, which is where part-time agreed hours get tested — a change to those hours needs agreement, not a roster edit.
Allowances
The bilingual qualification allowance is the one most specific to this award, and the one most often missed.
Allowances (FY2026/27)
| Allowance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bilingual qualification allowance – level 1 | $2,575.86 per year |
| Bilingual qualification allowance – level 2 | $5,155.71 per year |
| Medication administration allowance | $3.11 per week |
| Nauseous work allowance | $0.62 per hour (minimum $3.36 per week) |
| On call – off duty period | $24.52 per 24-hour period or part thereof |
| On call – public holiday | $49.05 per 24-hour period or part thereof |
| Meal allowance – overtime | $17.30, plus a further $15.60 when overtime exceeds 4 hours |
| Vehicle allowance | $1.01 per km |
| Uniform and special clothing | Reimbursement of the cost of required special clothing |
| Laundry | Reimbursement for laundering and maintaining special clothing |
| Telephone | Reimbursement of installation cost and ongoing rental charges |
| Travelling expenses | Reimbursement of fares, meals and accommodation reasonably incurred |
| Blood count allowance | Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses for tests |
Leave entitlements under the award & NES
Leave follows the National Employment Standards: 4 weeks annual leave (5 for eligible shiftworkers), 10 days paid personal/carer’s leave, 2 days compassionate leave per occasion, and unpaid family and domestic violence leave arrangements as legislated. See the leave entitlements guide for how accrual works in practice.
Shiftworkers who qualify for the fifth week of annual leave are defined by the award, not by how busy the roster is — check the definition before promising it.
A compliance plan for ACCHOs
Work through these in order
- Confirm MA000115 is the right award for each employee — nurses and allied health staff often sit under a different one
- Re-check every classification against the structure that took effect on 1 January 2026, especially dental and oral health roles
- Apply the FY2026/27 rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, not from 1 July itself
- Check the public-holiday casual rule against the pay guide before your next public-holiday pay period
- Confirm bilingual qualification allowances are being paid where staff hold the qualification
- Check whether an enterprise agreement or funding-agreement condition applies over the award
- Keep time and pay records for seven years, as the Fair Work Act requires
Common mistakes
- Applying the 25% casual loading on a public holiday. This award pays the penalty instead of the loading on public holidays.
- Leaving dental and oral health staff on their old classifications after the 1 January 2026 restructure.
- Paying from 1 July rather than the first full pay period on or after it.
- Missing the bilingual qualification allowance, which is an annual amount and easy to overlook in a weekly pay run.
- Assuming SCHADS rates apply because the work looks like community services. Coverage follows the employer and the award, not the resemblance.
Final takeaways
MA000115 is a small award with two features that catch employers out: a classification structure that changed on 1 January 2026, and a public-holiday casual rule that runs the opposite way to almost every other award. Get those two right and the rest is a standard shiftwork award.
Re-map your classifications first, then apply the rates — doing it the other way round produces confident, wrong numbers.
Industries using this award
Explore rostering for the workplaces covered by this award
Features that help with this award
How RosterElf applies MA000115 in practice
Aboriginal Health Award knowledge base
Step-by-step help for applying the award inside RosterElf.
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<p style="font-size:13px"><a href="https://www.rosterelf.com/guides/award-rates/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-health">Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award 2020 pay rates</a> by RosterElf</p>
Prefer a spreadsheet? Get these rates in Google Sheets or download the open dataset .
Related award rate guides
Explore other Australian Modern Award pay rate guides
Stop calculating the Aboriginal Health Award by hand
RosterElf applies MA000115's shift, weekend, public-holiday and casual rules automatically based on each shift's times — built for Australian workplaces.
Aboriginal Health Award FAQ
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For the health worker stream, adult full-time and part-time rates run from $28.11/hr (Grade 1 Level 1, trainee entry) to $41.90/hr (Grade 5 Level 3). A qualified generalist health worker at Grade 3 Level 1 is $32.76/hr. Casuals receive a 25% loading on ordinary hours. These rates apply from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
-
The Annual Wage Review lifted all modern award minimum rates by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. This award also had classification changes on 1 January 2026 from the gender-based undervaluation review, so for some employees the grade changed as well as the rate — compare classifications before comparing dollars.
-
Casuals receive a 25% loading on the ordinary rate, so Grade 3 Level 1 is $40.95/hr. The loading stacks on Saturday and Sunday penalties (175% and 225%), but not on public holidays — see the penalty section.
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A registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner sits in Grade 5 of MA000115: $39.97/hr at Level 1 rising to $41.90/hr at Level 3 ($1,518.80 to $1,592.20 a week), with casuals on $49.96 to $52.38/hr. Practitioners employed by a state health service are paid under a state award instead, which can differ substantially.