University of Western Australia Pay Rates 2026: Professional & Academic Staff Pay
What University of Western Australia workers should be paid in 2026 — the Higher Education Industry—General Staff—Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the University of Western Australia enterprise agreements sit.
Prepared with AI assistance and checked against primary sources. How we work
FairWork Mate is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Western Australia. This guide sets out award minimums and is general information, not a statement about the pay practices of University of Western Australia.
Who covers University of Western Australia workers — award or agreement?
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is based in Perth, with a strong research focus across its faculties and an on-campus early learning centre for staff and students. Its workforce spans academics across every discipline and a professional staff cohort supporting teaching, research and campus operations.
Professional staff sit on the Higher Education Industry—General Staff—Award 2020, and academic staff — including casual sessional teaching — sit on the Higher Education Industry—Academic Staff—Award 2020. UWA has enterprise agreements covering its academic staff and its childcare employees (listed below); professional staff not covered by an agreement should check the award tables that follow.
The federal awards relevant to University of Western Australia roles:
- Higher Education Industry—General Staff—Award 2020 (MA000007)
- Higher Education Industry—Academic Staff—Award 2020 (MA000006)
Workforce snapshot. In its 2024-25 report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, University Of Western Australia declared 7,157 employees — 41.4% casual and 57.3% women. Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Professional staff award floor — HEW levels (1 July 2026)
Professional (general) staff sit on the Higher Education Industry—General Staff—Award 2020 (MA000007). The first pay point of each HEW level is:
| Classification | Minimum rate |
|---|---|
| HEW Level 1 (step 1) — $53,820/yr | $28.16/hr |
| HEW Level 2 (step 1) — $56,406/yr | $28.55/hr |
| HEW Level 3 (step 1) — $58,439/yr | $29.57/hr |
| HEW Level 4 (step 1) — $63,660/yr | $32.22/hr |
| HEW Level 5 (step 1) — $66,928/yr | $35.02/hr |
| HEW Level 6 (step 1) — $73,705/yr | $37.30/hr |
| HEW Level 7 (step 1) — $79,255/yr | $40.11/hr |
| HEW Level 8 (step 1) — $86,338/yr | $43.69/hr |
| HEW Level 9 (step 1) — $97,300/yr | $49.24/hr |
| HEW Level 10 (step 1) — $102,866/yr | $52.06/hr |
Casual professional staff add the 25% loading. University enterprise agreements set their own HEW scales above 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.
Academic staff award floor (1 July 2026)
Academic staff sit on the Higher Education Industry—Academic Staff—Award 2020 (MA000006). Step 1 of each level:
| Classification | Minimum rate |
|---|---|
| Level A (associate lecturer), step 1 — $68,991/yr | $34.80/hr |
| Level B (lecturer), step 1 — $89,382/yr | $45.09/hr |
| Level C (senior lecturer), step 1 — $104,940/yr | $52.94/hr |
| Level D (associate professor), step 1 — $122,225/yr | $61.66/hr |
| Level E (professor) — $151,614/yr | $76.48/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.
Casual academics are paid piece rates for each activity under the award. The most common:
| Casual academic activity | Award rate |
|---|---|
| Casual lecture (1 hour delivery + 2 hours associated work) | $173.99 |
| Casual tutorial (1 hour delivery + 2 hours associated work) | $135.76 |
| Repeat tutorial (1 hour delivery + 1 hour associated work) | $90.48 |
| Standard marking (per hour) | $45.22 |
The associated-work hours built into each rate are the crux of the sector's underpayment cases — if you are paid for the delivery hour only, or marking is capped below the time it takes, the award is not being met.
The University of Western Australia enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current University of Western Australia agreements in our corpus (2 in total):
- UWA Childcare Employees Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved July 2025, nominal expiry 22 July 2028.
- UWA Academic Employees Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved February 2024, nominal expiry 30 June 2025.
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.
University pay issues worth checking on any payslip
General award-compliance issues that come up across the university sector. This is a checklist for your own payslip, not a finding about University of Western Australia:
- Casual academic piece rates that don't cover the work — paid for the delivery hour only, or marking capped below the time it takes.
- Wrong HEW level for the duties actually performed.
- Rolling fixed-term contracts where the work is ongoing.
- Increments and step progression missed after contract changes.
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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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.
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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.