Queensland Police Academy
Oxley, Townsville and what to expect

Queensland has been running some of the largest recruit classes in the country. In March 2025, 155 recruits graduated in what the government called the state's largest graduation in 33 years. Through 2026, classes of 79, 123, 108, 47 (Townsville, July), 126 and 35 (Oxley, 5 October) have graduated as First Year Constables.

The Queensland course is long by Australian standards, and recruits are paid less than many interstate peers while they train. In exchange, the academy is free to live at for those who qualify, there are no training fees, and the pay after graduation is strong once the 21% Operational Shift Allowance is added.

QPS trains mainstream recruits at two academies: Oxley in Brisbane and Townsville in North Queensland. Townsville graduated 47 constables in July 2026, of whom 17 went to Townsville District and 12 to Far North District, according to the ministerial statement.

A new northern academy is on the way

The Kirwan Police Facility in Townsville opened in February 2026. Its second stage includes a new Police Academy Northern Campus, due in 2029-30, and the 2026-27 State Budget allocates $96 million to it.

Living in needs approval

Living in isn't compulsory. Recruiting site extracts say you need approval, and list four criteria: you're moving from interstate or overseas, you live more than 50 km from Oxley or Townsville, you'd face financial hardship, or you can't travel or cope with the fatigue of travelling daily. Intake coordinators decide.

This is the most confusing fact about the Queensland academy. Every official source says roughly eight months, but they don't agree on the weeks.

The safest summary is about eight months, or 32 to 36 weeks. Plan your finances and commitments for the longer end. It's one of the longest police recruit courses in Australia, so this is a big block of your life on recruit pay.

Plan for 36 weeks. If your intake is shorter, that's a bonus, not a shortfall.

QPS describes the course in three phases, according to recruiting site extracts. It uses problem-based learning, built around situations taken from everyday policing.

1. 1

   Theory and legislation

   Phase 1

   The course opens with the law and procedures you'll apply as a constable.

2. 2

   The skills block

   Phase 2

   Physical skills, driver training, firearms and field craft.

3. 3

   Scenario-based training

   Phase 3

   Exercises that mirror the calls you'll attend on the frontline.

The scenario phase is where most recruits find out how well the theory has stuck. Expect to be assessed on how you handle a mock job from start to finish: what you say, what powers you use and how you record it.

QPS doesn't publish its academy assessment rules, pass marks, or what happens if you fail a component. We looked for a re-sit or back-squad policy and found none. The only published re-sit rules are for the pre-entry ACER test, not the academy.

Fitness

QPS doesn't publish an academy fitness standard. The entry standard below is the one you must pass before an offer, and it's a sensible baseline to keep through training.

The beep standard of 5/7 is the lowest of the big states, but eight months of physical skills and scenario training is demanding. Our QPS fitness test guide explains each test and how people fail on technique.

Queensland pays recruits by rule: 70% of the First Year Constable base salary plus a recruit training allowance of $183 a fortnight. On the 1 July 2026 base of $78,505 (QPS's official CPI Uplift Adjustment rate), that's $54,954 plus about $4,774, or roughly $59,728 a year.

Existing QPS civilian staff keep their current pay point while they train, and PACE recruits are paid more from day one. Employer super of 18% is paid on top. Compare all forces in our recruit pay comparison.

Queensland is one of the cheapest academies to attend, provided you qualify for live-in. There are no course fees, and since May 2023 QPS has waived fees for training and pre-selection tests.

The real cost is the long period on reduced pay. If you're giving up a better-paid job, eight months at about $59,728 is a big drop. Build a budget for it before you accept an offer.

According to recruiting site extracts, academy days run Monday to Friday from 7:45am to 4pm. You wear business attire until your QPS uniform is issued; fittings happen in week one.

The hours and dress come from QPS extracts; the rest is our summary of the published course phases, not an official timetable. If you live in, weekends are generally your own unless a scheduled activity says otherwise, but ask at induction.

Queensland allocates you before you start. The Queensland Government graduate page says applicants are allocated to a region or district before academy training, and can work anywhere in Queensland. Recruiting site extracts add that allocation depends on operational needs at the time of offer.

At graduation you're sworn in as a First Year Constable on pay point 1.1: $78,505 base from 1 July 2026, or about $94,991 with the 21% OSA if you're on an operational shift roster (QPS's official base rate plus 21%). That's about $2,849 a fortnight after 2026-27 tax.

Rural and remote postings carry extra money through the Rural Locality Incentive Payment and Area Allowance. Our QLD police salary guide explains both.

Graduates are sworn in as First Year Constables (Constable 1.1). The First Year Constable Program is about 12 months of station-based training under Field Training Officers and an Education and Training Officer; finishing it moves the officer to pay point 1.2. Probation is at least 12 months.

1. 1

   Designated training station

   Month 1

   You're posted to a station that acts as a training centre, supervised by an Education and Training Officer.

2. 2

   Field training

   Months 1 to 12

   You work frontline shifts with Field Training Officers, building and evidencing your skills.

3. 3

   Completion

   ≈12 months

   Finishing the program moves you to pay point 1.2 ($80,778, QPS official rate). Probation is at least 12 months.

The program and probation details come partly from recruiting site extracts. QPS may change the structure, so check your offer letter.

Current or recent frontline police (within five years) from other forces can do PACE instead of the mainstream course. It's about 20 weeks, with 3 to 4 intakes a year, and focuses on Queensland legislation, procedures and operational practice.

If you're a serving officer in another state, NZ or the UK, see our QPS joining guide for the eligibility rules.

Queensland's academy is long and its recruit pay is among the lowest annual rates in our data, but accommodation is free for those who qualify and pay after graduation is strong.

Still applying? Our QPS entrance exam guide covers the QPSea.