Pay & Wages
Priceline Pharmacy Pay Rates 2026: Pharmacy Assistant, Retail & Pharmacist Pay
What Priceline Pharmacy workers should be paid in 2026 — the Pharmacy Industry Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Priceline Pharmacy enterprise agreements sit.
Who covers Priceline Pharmacy workers — award or agreement?
Priceline Pharmacy is part of Wesfarmers Health (the former Australian Pharmaceutical Industries), with a network of company-owned and franchised pharmacies and beauty-focused Priceline stores. In-store roles include retail and beauty advisers, pharmacy assistants, dispensary technicians and pharmacists.
Two instruments set the floor: the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 for pharmacy assistants, dispensary staff and pharmacists, and the General Retail Industry Award 2020 for the beauty-and-retail-only stores. Franchise pharmacies are separate employers, so the agreement (if any) depends on who owns your store — the award tables below apply regardless.
The federal awards relevant to Priceline Pharmacy roles:
- Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012)
- General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Priceline Proprietary Limited reported 2,432 employees (part of the Wesfarmers Limited group, 122,405 employees in total, 47.9% casual and 57.8% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Pharmacy award floor (1 July 2026)
The Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012) adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy assistant level 1 | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr |
| Pharmacy assistant level 2 | $28.45/hr | $35.56/hr |
| Pharmacy assistant level 3 | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
| Pharmacy assistant level 4 | $30.66/hr | $38.33/hr |
| Pharmacy intern — 1st half of training | $33.99/hr | $42.49/hr |
| Pharmacy intern — 2nd half of training | $35.14/hr | $43.92/hr |
| Pharmacist | $41.74/hr | $52.18/hr |
| Experienced pharmacist | $45.72/hr | $57.15/hr |
| Pharmacist in charge | $46.80/hr | $58.50/hr |
| Pharmacist manager | $52.15/hr | $65.19/hr |
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Retail award floor — adults (21 and over)
From 1 July 2026 the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Employee Level 1 (sales assistant, register, replenishment) | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 2 (forklift, higher-skill work) | $28.45/hr | $35.56/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 3 (2IC, opening/closing, keyholder) | $28.89/hr | $36.11/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 4 (department or store management stream) | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
If you're 21 or older and your payslip shows less than Level 1, something is wrong.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Junior rates (under 21)
The General Retail Industry Award pays juniors a percentage of the Level 1 adult rate. From 1 July 2026 the junior minimums are:
- Under 16: $12.51/hr
- 16 years: $13.91/hr
- 17 years: $16.69/hr
- 18 years: $19.47/hr
- 19 years: $22.25/hr
- 20 years (first 6 months with the employer): $25.03/hr
- 20 years (after 6 months — full adult rate): $27.81/hr
Your rate must step up from the first full pay period after each birthday. Casual juniors add the 25% loading on top of these figures. An enterprise agreement's junior scale must leave you better off than this ladder overall.
The Priceline Pharmacy enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Priceline Pharmacy agreements in our corpus (9 in total):
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Pty Ltd NSW Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved November 2025, nominal expiry 24 September 2029.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Pty Ltd NSW Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved November 2025, nominal expiry 24 September 2029.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Pty Ltd Launceston Distribution Centre Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved August 2025, nominal expiry 21 August 2029.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Western Australia Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved October 2024, nominal expiry 19 September 2028.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries South Australian Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved July 2024, nominal expiry 30 June 2028.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Melbourne Distribution Centre Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved August 2023, nominal expiry 30 June 2027.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Pty Ltd (Qld) Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved November 2023, nominal expiry 30 September 2026.
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Launceston Distribution Centre Enterprise Agreement 2022 — approved April 2023, nominal expiry 12 June 2025.
Plus 1 more — search "Priceline Pharmacy" in our agreements database.
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.
Pharmacy pay issues worth checking on any payslip
General award-compliance issues that come up across the pharmacy sector. This is a checklist for your own payslip, not a finding about Priceline Pharmacy:
- Junior step-ups missed — birthday rises and the 20-year-old six-month step to the full adult rate.
- Level 1 for higher-level work — keyholding, opening/closing, running a department or regularly supervising others is Level 3–4 territory.
- Weekend penalties absorbed — a flat rate covering Saturday and Sunday shifts has to actually beat the penalty mix for your roster.
- Unpaid time — till counts, close-downs, bag checks and stocktake after the doors shut are work time, and short casual shifts must meet the award's three-hour minimum.
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.
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FairWork Mate is an independent Australian publisher of workplace-rights information. Our content is prepared with AI assistance and draws on primary sources — the Fair Work Act, modern awards, and Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman material. It is general information, not legal advice.