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INAboriginal Health Workers Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Aboriginal Health Workers Award actually pays — the right grade and level, shift and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Aboriginal Health Workers Award is applied
- Minimum rates are the adult Health Worker / Health Practitioner stream rates from clause 16.1(a)(ii), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading, added to shift and weekend penalties on the base rate (not compounded) — the casual percentages above already combine the two.
- Saturday (150%) and Sunday (200%) rates attach to shiftworkers’ ordinary hours; day workers’ ordinary hours sit between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday, so their weekend work is overtime.
- Overtime — beyond 38 average weekly hours, 10 hours in a day, or outside the span — pays 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (casuals 175%/225%).
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift and weekend penalties — but not to overtime.
- The award’s quiet trap: a casual on a public holiday earns 150%, not 275% — the 50% holiday loading replaces the casual loading, so a permanent (250%) out-earns a casual that day.
Who the award covers
- Aboriginal community controlled health services (ACCHS) — incorporated organisations governed by a community-elected Aboriginal Board — and their staff
- Any employer, anywhere in Australia, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers or Health Practitioners
- Health Workers from trainee (Certificate II) through to coordinator (Diploma)
- AHPRA-registered Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
- Dental assistants, dental/oral health therapists, administrative and ancillary staff of ACCHS
- Labour hire and group training placements into these roles
Nurses and midwives (Nurses Award), doctors (Medical Practitioners Award) and allied health or support staff in mainstream services (Health Professionals and Support Services Award) sit under other awards — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
This award classifies the Health Worker / Health Practitioner stream by qualification and identity, not job title: Certificate II sits at Grade 2, Certificate III (Generalist) at Grade 3, Certificate IV (Advanced or Practitioner) at Grade 4 and Diploma-level seniors at Grade 5 — each grade with in-grade levels that step up by progression.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | $28.11 | $1068.10 | Health Worker Trainee (Entry) — first year | First year of service, generally no direct experience: primary health education and liaison under direct supervision, while the employer helps them into a Certificate II course within 18 months. |
| Grade 2 — Level 1 | $30.10 | $1143.90 | Health Worker Trainee — second year or Certificate II | Second year of service or holds a Certificate II in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care: routine procedures, established techniques and minimal judgement, still under direct supervision. |
| Grade 3 — Level 1 | $32.76 | $1244.80 | Generalist Health Worker (Certificate III) | Holds a Certificate III: delivers clinical, preventative, rehabilitative and health-promotion work under general direction within a delegated model of care, exercising real judgement. |
| Grade 3 — Level 2 | $34.47 | $1310.00 | Generalist Health Worker — Certificate III floor | The award’s qualification floor: a Generalist Health Worker who holds a Certificate III, or has a Medicare provider number, must be classified no lower than Grade 3 Level 2. |
| Grade 3 — Level 3 | $36.15 | $1373.60 | Experienced Generalist Health Worker | The top in-grade step for Generalist Health Workers, reached by progression within Grade 3. |
| Grade 4 — Level 1 | $37.16 | $1412.00 | Advanced Health Worker — Practice or Care (Certificate IV) | Holds a Certificate IV: independently undertakes the full range of duties including the most complex matters, with little supervision — may work as a sole practitioner remote from the health service. |
| Grade 4 — Level 2 | $38.16 | $1449.90 | Health Practitioner (AHPRA-registered) — minimum level | The floor for the protected title: an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner (Certificate IV plus current AHPRA registration) must be classified no lower than Grade 4 Level 2. |
| Grade 4 — Level 3 | $39.04 | $1483.40 | Experienced Advanced Health Worker / Health Practitioner | The top in-grade step for Grade 4, reached by progression. |
| Grade 5 — Level 1 | $39.97 | $1518.80 | Senior Health Worker · Senior Health Practitioner · Coordinator | Diploma-qualified senior roles: may run a small team, hold expert knowledge of Aboriginal health issues and help with planning and supervision — or coordinate Health Workers across the service. |
| Grade 5 — Level 3 | $41.90 | $1592.20 | Senior Health Worker / Coordinator — top step | The top of the Health Worker ladder, reached by progression within Grade 5. |
- Two gates come before any rate: Health Worker roles can only be performed by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and “Health Practitioner” is a protected title requiring current AHPRA registration — with a classification floor of Grade 4 Level 2.
- Qualifications set floors, not ceilings: a Certificate III holder (or anyone with a Medicare provider number) must sit at Grade 3 Level 2 or above.
- The calculator shows 10 of the stream’s 12 pay points — Grade 2 Level 2 ($31.13/hr) and Grade 5 Level 2 ($40.91/hr) sit between the steps shown.
- The same award also prices dental assistants, dental/oral health therapists, administrative staff (Grades 1–8) and ancillary staff including drivers — classify into the right clause 16 group before you look up a rate.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Aboriginal Health Workers Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Aboriginal Health Workers Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Aboriginal Health Workers Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 15). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Aboriginal Health Workers Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000115) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
They’re the adult minimums for the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker / Health Practitioner stream (clause 16.1(a)(ii)), current at 1 July 2026. Dental, administrative and ancillary staff have their own clause 16 tables. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Who can be classified as a Health Worker or Health Practitioner?
Health Worker roles can only be performed by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and the qualifications involved are only undertaken by them. “Health Practitioner” goes further: it’s a protected title regulated by AHPRA — the employee must hold a Certificate IV in Primary Health Care Practice, keep their registration current, and be classified no lower than Grade 4 Level 2.
Why does a casual earn less than a permanent on a public holiday?
Because the award swaps loadings rather than stacking them: clause 28.2 pays casuals an additional 50% instead of their 25% casual loading — 150% all up — while full-time and part-time staff get 250%, or 150% plus a day in lieu. It’s the one day a permanent out-earns a casual.
My receptionist and driver are covered too — at what rates?
The same award sets separate minimum rate tables for administrative employees (Grades 1–8), dental assistants, dental/oral health therapists and ancillary employees including drivers. This calculator models the Health Worker / Health Practitioner stream — classify other staff into their own clause 16 group first.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
