Catholic and independent school teacher pay in 2026, state by state

How Catholic school pay is set

Most Catholic schools in Australia are systemic schools. They are run by a diocesan Catholic education office, and their teachers are covered by one enterprise agreement for the whole system, approved by the Fair Work Commission. A smaller group of Catholic schools are run by religious institutes rather than a diocese. They have their own agreements and can pay differently (Queensland, for example, has a separate agreement for religious-institute schools).

Catholic employers have a long habit of matching the government scale in their state, because they recruit from the same pool of teachers. That parity is not automatic. Each Catholic agreement has its own dates, and when a state government deal lands, Catholic teachers can sit on old rates for months until their own agreement catches up. That is exactly what is happening in Victoria and Queensland in 2026.

Catholic vs government pay, state by state

NSW and ACT: the clearest case

The NSW and ACT Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement 2025 ([2025] FWCA 4325) has operated since 24 December 2025 and runs to 9 October 2027. Its NSW table copies the government award: Step 1 $92,882, Step 7 $133,422 and HALT $141,997 from 9 October 2026, with the same 3% rises in October 2024, 2025 and 2026. It also back-paid teachers to 9 October 2024. Broken Bay and Parramatta have separate but related agreements.

• Extra early-career levels: Catholic schools have two 'conditionally accredited' rates ($83,872 and $88,354) for teachers who are not yet fully accredited.
• Casual rates: CT1 $480.42, CT2 $538.74 and CT3 $599.86 a day, a cent off the government rates because of rounding. Unlike government schools, Catholic schools publish a half-day rate (CT1 $240.21).
• Primary leadership: primary assistant principal allowances run from $32,924 to $49,399 depending on enrolment (October 2026).
• ACT schools (Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn) are on an August cycle: +3.5% from 1 August 2026 took Step 1 to $94,596, Step 7 to $133,625 and HALT to $141,638.

Victoria and Queensland: Catholic teachers waiting

Victoria. Catholic teachers in the Melbourne, Ballarat and Sandhurst dioceses are on the Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022, which has the same rates as the government 2022 agreement: $79,589 for a graduate and $118,063 at the top. It passed its nominal expiry on 31 December 2025. In June 2026 Catholic employers offered to match the total percentage rises in the new government agreement, plus 18 weeks' paid parental leave. As at August 2026 the union said bargaining was continuing. We could not confirm any 2026 Catholic pay rise, so assume 2022 rates until your employer confirms otherwise. The Diocese of Sale has separate arrangements.

Queensland. Diocesan Catholic schools are covered by the Catholic Employers Single Enterprise Collective Agreement - Diocesan Schools of Queensland 2023-2026, which reached nominal expiry on 30 June 2026. The union tabled claims in April 2026 seeking 4% a year, benchmarked to NSW. A graduate rate of $84,077 from July 2024 has been reported, but we have not confirmed a current figure. Religious-institute schools have a separate agreement.

Tasmania, WA, SA and the NT

Tasmania. Catholic Education Tasmania's Single Enterprise Agreement 2024 reached nominal expiry on 30 June 2026. A 2026 job ad listed $72,688 to $118,328, which is the government Band 1 scale before the March 2026 rise. We have not confirmed whether the 3% government rise has been passed on. In WA, the WA Catholic School Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023 runs to 16 February 2027; reported January 2026 rates start at $91,449 for a four-year-trained teacher (Step 2) and reach $130,216 at Step 10, slightly above the government scale. In SA, the IEU reports Catholic graduates on $82,659 and the top step on $116,160, below the government scale ($84,971 to $123,236), and members took protected industrial action in September 2026 after employers offered 3% a year against a claim of 6%. We have not verified NT Catholic rates. Wherever you are, ask your school for its agreement name and look it up on the Fair Work Commission's agreement search.

How independent schools set teacher pay

Independent schools (including Anglican, Uniting, Lutheran, Christian, grammar and non-denominational schools) are each their own employer. Pay is set in one of three ways:

In NSW, the IEU publishes model pay scales for independent schools. Its 'Standards model' schedule shows Step 1.1 at $94,155 and the top step at $133,009 from 1 February 2026, rising to $97,921 and $138,329 from 1 February 2027. Those are union summaries rather than the agreement text, and each school's actual agreement may differ. Note the February cycle: independent rises often fall on a calendar-year date, so from February 2027 some independent schools will pay more than the NSW government scale until NSW's next award.

The award floor: what every non-government school must pay

The award is a safety net, not a guide to normal pay. A Level 5 award teacher on $105,076 earns less than a NSW government teacher at Step 4. If a school offers you award rates, compare that with the government scale in your state before accepting, and ask whether the school has an enterprise agreement.

Beyond salary: what else differs