Last year we were excited to share that the Fair Work Commission handed down its decision on its investigation into the gender-based undervaluation of work in virtually all of the professions covered by our Union.

As a result of tireless advocacy from our dedicated members, the Fair Work Commission’s decision marks a major shift in how your work is valued – addressing the gender pay gap and inequity for workers.

This decision means that, are set to get wage increases of 16-31% to the minimum national rates of pay contained in the HPSS Award and once we account for usual annual increases on top, many members can expect to see increases of well over 30-40% over the next four or so years!

These wage increases will be phased in over four years starting 1 July 2026. This structured path provides a guaranteed upward trajectory for HPSS wages for the rest of the decade.

Why This Matters (Even if You’re Already Paid Above Award)

Whilst the increases are a huge result and well-deserved win for the Union and our members, this win is about much more. It’s about raising the floor for every worker covered by the HPSS Award – and that has a massive impact on our collective bargaining power, whether you work in a major public hospital, private health, or community and regional health services.

You might be thinking, “My Enterprise Agreement (EBA) pays more than the award, so why does this matter?”  Well, the HPSS Award is our safety net, and these increases give you:

A Higher Starting Point for Bargaining: Every time we sit down to negotiate a new EBA, we bargain on top of the award. When the award rate rises, the starting figure for our negotiations moves up with it. A higher floor pushes every level, and every worker above it even higher.

Immediate Uplift for Many: If the new award rate (even in the first phase) ends up higher than your current bargained rate, your base rates of pay must legally increase to meet that new safety net. This is particularly vital for members in the private sector, where bargained rates haven’t always kept pace with the true value of your work, and have often fallen well behind public sector rates. This win goes a long way to addressing pay equity for Health Professionals.

Future-Proofing Your Profession and Your Pay: By locking in these increases and better descriptors now, together we are setting a “new normal.” It makes it much harder for bosses to argue for lower wages in the future when the legal minimum has been significantly increased.

This decision is a testament to the power of our collective voice. We didn’t just ask for a pay rise; we demanded a fundamental change in how the system views Health Professionals. This simply could not have been achieved without the tireless advocacy and bravery of our members speaking up, coming together, and improving the future for countless other Health Professionals. We cannot achieve these things alone, and our Union punched well above our weight with more members appearing as witnesses than any other organisation in the country!

This witness testimony was vital to convey the reality of the work you do, and it would be remiss of us to not give a special shout out to the following members who appeared as witnesses before the Commission:

Cathy Durkin – MSAV President

Ella Sexton

Georgia Craigie

Helen Jeges

Paul Elliot

Samantha Holmes

Samantha Splatt

Sarah Durran

Sarah Lloyd

Shaani Graves

Toni Franklin

Dilani Ranamkhaarachchi

Kerrie Clarke