Tribunal lifts judicial and tribunal pay by 3.5 per cent from December

Western Australia’s Salaries and Allowances Tribunal has awarded a 3.5 per cent increase to the remuneration of State Administrative Tribunal members and Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission commissioners, effective 1 December 2026. The rises are set out in two new determinations, SA403 and SA404, published in the Government Gazette of Western Australia No. 138 of 30 October 2026, alongside a variation extending the same adjustment to court registrars.

The Tribunal acted under section 6(1)(e) of the Salaries and Allowances Act 1975, and states that each determination followed consideration, as required by section 10A, of the Public Sector Wages Policy Statement issued on 26 May 2026 and of the financial position and fiscal strategy set out in the Western Australia State Budget 2026-27 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. Both determinations were signed on 2 October 2026 by Chairperson Prof M Seares AO and members Mr O Whittle and Ms M McCracken.

Tribunal members move to $405,726

The State Administrative Tribunal Determination No. 1 of 2026 fixes annual salaries of $405,726 for a Senior Member and $344,868 for an Ordinary Member, a 3.5 per cent lift the Tribunal describes as being “in line with other office holders within the judicial and quasi-judicial sphere”. The determination applies to Senior and Ordinary Members prescribed in regulation 3 of the Salaries and Allowances Regulations 1975.

The Tribunal invited submissions from stakeholders and office holders; the single submission received sought to maintain current relativities and raised the motor vehicle allowance and travel and accommodation entitlements. Members are entitled to salary packaging for superannuation and novated leases under the Guidelines for Salary Packaging in the WA Public Sector, and salaries are paid pro rata to full-time hours worked.

Commissioners top $450,805

The companion WA Industrial Relations Commission Determination No. 1 of 2026 covers members of the Commission other than the President, with salaries inclusive of leave loading:

• Chief Commissioner: $450,805
• Senior Commissioner: $428,265
• Commissioner: $405,726

The submission received in that inquiry asked the Tribunal to maintain current relativities, and the Tribunal again applied 3.5 per cent in line with judicial and quasi-judicial office holders. Paid leave and lump sum entitlements on leaving office continue under section 20(10) of the Industrial Relations Act 1979.

Registrars and the wider judicial round

Determination Variation No. 4 of 2026 (SA402) records that on 2 October 2026 the Tribunal issued a report under section 7 of the Act recommending a 3.5 per cent adjustment for Judges of the Supreme and District Courts, Masters of the Supreme Court, Magistrates and the Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission, effective 1 December 2026. Registrars of the Supreme and District Courts, though part of the Special Division of the Public Service, are treated by the Tribunal within the context of the state’s judicial system, so the increase flows to them. From 1 December 2026:

• Supreme Court Principal Registrar: $422,393 (from $408,109)
• Supreme Court Registrar: $374,197 (from $361,543)
• District Court Principal Registrar: $393,470 (from $380,164)
• District Court Registrar: $369,788 (from $357,283)
• Deputy Registrar: $358,732 (from $346,601)

Vehicles, travel and the fine print

The Tribunal monitored lease costs through the year and granted a $500 increase to the motor vehicle allowance for both tribunal members and commissioners. Members may take the benefit as a leased vehicle through State Fleet or as cash paid fortnightly at a whole-of-life value of $26,500 a year; at the Commission the notional values are $29,000 for the Chief Commissioner and $28,400 for Senior Commissioners and Commissioners.

State Administrative Tribunal members also gain the same travelling and accommodation allowance as the judiciary, set by Australian Taxation Office reasonable benefit limit rates. Claims for overnight stays in the Perth metropolitan area require approval from the President of the Tribunal in consultation with the Department of Justice, while at the Commission such claims are approved by the Chief Commissioner.

The decisions settle pay for the bulk of Western Australia’s quasi-judicial workforce in one gazettal, with the December start date giving agencies and office holders a single date on which salaries, vehicle entitlements and travel rates all shift together.

Source: Western Australian Government Gazette, No. 138, 30 October 2026, Salaries and Allowances Tribunal (official references: SA402, SA403 and SA404).