Practical implications – what employers can do now to start preparing
While final decisions are pending, employers of speech pathologists covered by the HPSS Award should prepare for the
following:
-
Classification review: assess current roles against the proposed classification descriptors to identify where
employees are likely to transition.
-
Qualification audit: determine the speech pathology AQF level qualification held by each employee to
ensure appropriate alignment under the new structure.
-
Translation planning: consider how roles involving supervisory duties or extended scope of practice will be
recognised and remunerated under the new framework.
-
Budget forecasting: plan for phased wage increases starting 1 October 2026.
Whether you need to increase an employee’s pay depends on whether their current rate is already high enough to meet
the increased Award minimum. The Award sets minimum rates, not automatic percentage increases. You only need to
increase pay if the employee’s current rate falls below the new minimum for their classification. If an employee is
already paid at or above the new minimum, you do not need to adjust their pay at that time.
What it means for speech pathologists
Speech pathology has no single standard entry qualification, so the Commission has set three qualification levels in
Schedule B: AQF Levels 7, 8 and 9. An employee is paid according to the qualification they hold.
SPA argued for the rates to converge after the first year of employment, but the Commission declined to change the
structure, which it had already settled in its earlier decisions.
The Annual Wage Review increase applies separately
On 2 June 2026 the Commission announced a 4.75% increase to award minimum wage rates in the
2025–26 Annual Wage Review.
This applies to the Award from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026, separately from and in
addition to the gender-based undervaluation changes.
The two do not cancel each other out. The Commission rejected any suggestion that the undervaluation increases be
absorbed into Annual Wage Review increases, because that would undermine the very purpose of correcting the
undervaluation. It has said a further determination will issue after the 2026 Annual Wage Review to incorporate the
new rates. In practical terms, HPSS rates rise with the 4.75% increase from early July, then the new classification
structure and its first stage of pay take effect from 1 October.
The determination setting the updated Award rates following the Annual Wage Review has not yet been released. We will
update members once the determinations are released. In the meantime, it is still worth reviewing current remuneration
now, so you are ready for both changes.
SPA and Industry Legal are here to help
Through our partnership with Industry Legal, your membership gives you access to advice on workplace relations and
employment, consumer and commercial law, including a complimentary 30-minute initial consultation, discounted member
rates and workplace resources.
If you have questions about these changes, contact Industry Legal on 1300 736 435 or
[email protected]
. Please have your SPA member number ready.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Please contact Industry Legal for advice.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under professional standards legislation.