With the COLA payment due to come through for employees covered by the Crown Employees (Public Sector – Salaries 2024) Award generating a lot of buzz, we have received some member queries whether School Psychologists are eligible.
As School Psychologists your pay increases and salaries are determined under a different industrial instrument. Your pay rises were secured by the PSA via a three-year Crown Employees (School Psychologists – Department of Education) Salaries Award 2024 ( “School Psychologists Award”) to ensure your pay parity with school counsellors is maintained.
Your Award includes the following guaranteed pay increase over three years:
9 October 2024 to 8 October 2025: 3 per cent increase to salaries, for all classifications covered by the School Psychologists Award from the first full pay period on or after 9 October 2024 (excluding superannuation).
9 October 2025 to 8 October 2026: 3 per cent increase to salaries, for all classifications covered by the School Psychologists Award from the first full pay period on or after 9 October 2025 (excluding superannuation).
9 October 2026 to 8 October 2027: 3 per cent increase to salaries, for all classifications covered by the SP Award from the first full pay period on or after 9 October 2026 (excluding superannuation).
- You were also guaranteed an increase to superannuation of 0.5 per cent effective from 1 July 2025 and 1 July 2026.
- An annual $1000 taxable, one-off ‘cost-of-living’ adjustment payment, plus superannuation, will continue to be conditional on the 12-month annual average Sydney Consumer Price Index rate exceeding 4.5 per cent in the year to March quarter. This payment is available in any year of the agreement, with the trigger commencing in the March quarter. The payment would be pro-rated for employees who do not work full time and will be paid in July of each year.
Whilst the threshold of 4.5 per cent CPI under the terms of the Award was not reached in the March quarter this year for School Counsellors nor for School Psychologists, this safeguard remains available in 2027 should the Cost-of-Living increase meet the threshold next year.
To be clear all Teaching Service staff including School Counsellors did not qualify for this round of COLA payment.
For your information – we provide the below links to relevant SP Bulletins published by the PSA.
School Psychologists: End-of-year wrap up | PSA CPSU NSW
School Psychologists: Vote on your 2024-2027 salary increases | PSA CPSU NSW