MACS and Victorian Catholic teacher salary 2026: current rates and the proposed deal

Who this covers

Most Catholic school teachers in Victoria are covered by the Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022 (CEMEA 2022). Its employers are Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS, including MACS Specialist Schools), the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Ltd (DOBCEL), Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd (CESL) and about 28 religious-institute and other employers, including Edmund Rice Education Australia, Kildare, Mercy Education, Marist Schools Australia, Loreto, Genazzano, Salesian and Whitefriars.

The Diocese of Sale (DOSCEL) is not on the CEMEA. It has its own 2022 agreement, which we have not been able to read, so its rates are not shown here. DOSCEL is, however, one of the 34 employers covered by the 2026 offer.

Current Victorian Catholic pay scale (CEMEA 2022)

The proposed 2026 agreement: what the employers are offering

On 15 October 2026 the Victorian Catholic employers (VCEA) posted proposed salary tables for a Victorian Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2026, marked 'subject to change'. The rates match the government schools' VGSA 2026 path step for step. Rises would total 28.3% at the top step and 32.4% at the graduate step by November 2029.

• $2,000 sign-on bonus for full-time staff, pro rata for part-timers.
• 1% top-of-classification allowance from 1 May 2027.
• Camp allowance of $400 a night for teachers.
• 18 weeks' paid parental leave.
• Casual relief teacher rates no lower than government rates.

How we got here

The IEU's objections are about conditions rather than the headline pay rates. It says the proposal would replace hour-for-hour time in lieu with five employer-scheduled days, move time in lieu into a side memorandum or deed rather than the agreement, allow up to 40 more after-school meeting hours a year than in government schools, and lift the POL pool by only 17.9% to 18.9%.

Victorian Catholic vs government school pay

Catholic and government rates in Victoria have long been identical, and until October 2026 both sectors were paid the 1 July 2025 rates. That has now changed. Government staff's VGSA 2026 was approved by the FWC on 16 October 2026, with back pay to 10 August 2026. Catholic staff have no agreement at all, and their back pay depends on a deal by 15 November. See the Victorian government pay scale and our report on the VGSA 2026 vote.

What the proposed deal would mean for your take-home pay

If backdating does go ahead, you would get a lump sum covering the gap from 10 August 2026. Back pay is taxed as part of your income for the year it is paid, and PAYG withholding on a lump sum can look high on the day. Our back pay calculator estimates the amount, and tax on teacher back pay explains how it is withheld.

Super and salary packaging

The CEMEA pays the 12% Superannuation Guarantee and no extra employer contribution (cl 43.5). The default fund is Catholic Super. Salary packaging is allowed on a cost-neutral basis to the employer (cl 43.3), and MACS uses Smart Salary. Catholic employers are usually FBT-rebatable, which gives a 47% FBT rebate on up to $30,000 of grossed-up benefits a year, though we have not seen MACS state its own status. Our salary packaging guide explains what that is worth.