Catholic Education Western Australia Pay Rates 2026: Teacher & School Staff Pay
What Catholic Education Western Australia workers should be paid in 2026 — the Educational Services (Teachers) Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Catholic Education Western Australia enterprise agreements sit.
Senior Workplace Relations Writer · GradDip Employment Relations, Griffith University
Who covers Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) workers — award or agreement?
Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) is the system authority for Catholic schools across Western Australia, covering both metropolitan and regional campuses. It employs teachers across primary and secondary years, and a large general staff workforce in administration, learning support, grounds and other school-based roles.
Teachers sit on the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020, and general staff sit on the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020. Diocesan systems like CEWA typically bargain one system-wide enterprise agreement rather than per school; our corpus holds a support-staff agreement (listed below), and the award tables are the floor beneath it.
The federal awards relevant to Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) roles:
- Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (MA000077)
- Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020 (MA000076)
Workforce snapshot. In its 2024-25 report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Catholic Education Western Australia Limited declared 12,615 employees — 20.3% casual and 81% women. Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Teachers award floor (1 July 2026)
The Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (MA000077) sets these annual minimums for school teachers:
| Classification | Annual | Weekly |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 — Graduate teacher and all other teachers | $75,941/yr | $1455.40/wk |
| Level 2 — Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent | $83,004/yr | $1590.70/wk |
| Level 3 — Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years’ satisfactory teaching service at Level 2 | $90,362/yr | $1731.70/wk |
| Level 4 — Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years’ satisfactory teaching service at Level 3 | $97,720/yr | $1872.70/wk |
| Level 5 — Teacher with Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation /registration or equivalent | $105,076/yr | $2013.70/wk |
Teachers progress by accreditation and experience; the award's Level 5 is for Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation. Casual (relief) teachers are paid a daily rate derived from these figures.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
School general staff award floor (1 July 2026)
Learning support officers, administration, IT, library, grounds and maintenance staff sit on the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020 (MA000076). Entry pay points by level:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1.1 (general hand, aide (entry)) | $26.44/hr | $33.05/hr |
| Level 2.1 (classroom support, admin (entry)) | $28.24/hr | $35.30/hr |
| Level 3.1 (learning support officer, admin) | $29.47/hr | $36.84/hr |
| Level 4.1 (senior support, technician) | $31.11/hr | $38.88/hr |
| Level 5.1 (specialist support, coordinator) | $33.73/hr | $42.16/hr |
| Level 6.1 (senior coordinator) | $36.61/hr | $45.76/hr |
| Level 7.1 (manager) | $40.25/hr | $50.31/hr |
Term-time-only arrangements are common in schools; the award's annualised-pay and school-holiday rules matter as much as the hourly rate.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
The Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) agreements in our corpus (2 in total):
- WA Catholic School Support Staff Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved September 2026, nominal expiry 1 September 2030.
- WA Catholic School Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved February 2024, nominal expiry 16 February 2027.
We don't reproduce agreement dollar figures here — the agreement covering your site, state and stream is the document to read. Find your agreement, then your classification, then your pay point, and compare it with your payslip. The award tables on this page are the floor every one of these agreements must beat.
Common school pay issues at Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA)
The patterns worth checking on a Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) payslip:
- Teacher pay steps not advancing with accreditation and years of service.
- Term-time-only support staff paid an annualised rate that doesn't match the hours actually worked.
- Unpaid duties — camps, evening events and supervision outside the agreed hours without the agreement's allowances.
- Wrong general-staff level for the responsibility actually carried.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
FairWork Mate AI
Check your own pay with the advisor
“I work at a CEWA school. Am I being paid the right rate for my age and hours — and are my weekend and public holiday penalties correct?”
Cited answers grounded in the Fair Work Act, your award and the Fair Work Commission decisions behind them. Free to start.
Ask the advisor →Pro is $29.99/mo for 150 questions, or a $14.99 7-Day Pass covers 50 questions over 7 days. See plans
Get pay and rights updates for your job
Free email updates when award rates, the minimum wage or workplace laws change.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Official resources
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
Related articles
What Sydney Catholic Schools workers should be paid in 2026 — the Educational Services (Teachers) Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Sydney Catholic Schools enterprise agreements sit.
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Pay Rates 2026: Teacher & School Staff PayWhat Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools workers should be paid in 2026 — the Educational Services (Teachers) Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools enterprise agreements sit.
Brisbane Catholic Education Pay Rates 2026: Teacher & School Staff PayWhat Brisbane Catholic Education workers should be paid in 2026 — the Educational Services (Teachers) Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Brisbane Catholic Education enterprise agreements sit.
Anglican Schools Corporation Pay Rates 2026: Teacher & School Staff PayWhat Anglican Schools Corporation workers should be paid in 2026 — the Educational Services (Teachers) Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Anglican Schools Corporation enterprise agreements sit.
Nine years in Australian workplace relations — Queensland hospitality HR, then retail ER in Brisbane and Northern NSW. Graduate Diploma in Employment Relations (Griffith University, 2018). Writes about award interpretation, underpayment recovery, and casual conversion. Member of the AHRI since 2019. Based in Paddington, Brisbane.