SA police pay deal 2026
what's on offer and when members vote

On 16 September 2026 the Police Association of South Australia (PASA) announced it had secured the terms of a proposed new enterprise agreement. PASA President Wade Burns called it "a generational agreement". Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis and Police Minister Michael Brown both welcomed it, and reports that day said it covers more than 4,600 sworn SAPOL members.

PASA's own release says the agreement "remains subject to a vote of members and ratification" in the South Australian Employment Tribunal (SAET). Coverage on the same day said members were expected to vote in the coming weeks. When we checked on 9 October 2026, we found no published vote result. SAET's current notices listed no SA Police agreement.

PASA's website blocked our requests and the ballot dates haven't been reported publicly, so we can't confirm when voting closes. If you're a member, PASA is the authority on how and when to vote. We'll update this page and email subscribers the day a result is published. For the full background to the deal, see the SA Police pay deal guide.

The pay part of the offer is four increases, one each January. Two of them have a floor and a possible top-up: the "police-specific inter-jurisdictional midpoint". PASA's announcement doesn't explain how that midpoint is worked out, so 4% is the only figure you can count on.

1. 1

   4%

   January 2027

   From the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027.

2. 2

   4%, or the midpoint if greater

   1 January 2028

   The police-specific inter-jurisdictional midpoint, if it gives a larger rise.

3. 3

   4%

   1 January 2029

   A flat 4%.

4. 4

   4%, or the midpoint if greater

   1 January 2030

   The second midpoint test.

These rises follow the December 2024 two-year deal, which gave 4% from January 2025 plus a $2,500 police-specific retention salary increase, then 4% or adjustment to the national midpoint salary (whichever was higher) from January 2026, plus a $3,500 one-off payment. Current rates come from that deal. See the SA Police salary guide for every published rank.

Not that has been announced. PASA's September 2026 release lists the four salary rises and a package of allowances and conditions. It mentions the $3,500 retention payment, but as part of the December 2024 arrangement, when it adds up total salary growth since January 2025. Neither PASA nor the government coverage we read mentioned a new sign-on, retention or one-off payment for the 2027-2030 agreement.

SAPOL publishes only the lowest and highest increment of each rank, so that's what this table shows. We haven't interpolated the increments in between. Each figure is rounded to the dollar after each rise, which is our method; the final pay schedules could round slightly differently.

A Probationary Constable would go from $83,398 to $97,563 by January 2030. A Sergeant at the top increment would go from $135,363 to $158,356. Cadets at the Academy would move from $71,872 to $74,747 in 2027 if the cadet rate rises by the same percentage, which the announcement doesn't specifically confirm.

If you're joining or transferring to SAPOL

SAPOL pays interstate and international transition recruits as Probationary Constables while they train, so anyone starting through the transition program in 2027 would start on the higher rate if the agreement is approved. Domestic recruits at the Academy are on the cadet rate first. Increment progression is separate from these rises: moving up an increment and getting the January rise both add to your pay in the same year. If you're comparing a move, the figures above are the minimum the offer would pay; see moving from UK policing to SA Police and how to become a police officer in SA.

Annual figures hide what changes in your pay. This table shows the January 2027 rise per fortnight, before and after tax, and what the full four rises would add to take-home pay by 2030. SA pays fortnightly; we've divided by 26 as an approximation.

Worked example: Senior Constable on response

Take a Senior Constable at increment 6 on a metropolitan response team. Under clause 31 of the 2021 agreement, the Response Extended Hours Roster pays a 23% Response Allowance on base salary, in place of shift and weekend penalties. Base plus allowance is $144,577 now. At 4% it becomes $150,360 in January 2027 and at least $169,135 by January 2030, assuming the allowance stays at 23% (our calculation). The first rise adds about $3,528 a year after tax.

Three different totals are floating around, and they measure different things. Knowing which is which stops you over- or under-valuing the offer.

The 16% is the simple sum of four 4% rises. Each rise applies to a salary already raised by the last, so the minimum true increase over four years is 17.0%. PASA's 28.11% to 31.48% reaches back to January 2025 and includes the December 2024 deal's rises and the flat $2,500 retention increase. A flat dollar amount is a bigger percentage of a lower salary, which is why the total varies by rank.

The midpoint clauses could push 2028 or 2030 above 4%. The 2024 deal had a similar test for January 2026, and SAPOL hasn't published whether that delivered more than 4% at any rank. Ask PASA which forces the midpoint compares, which ranks it uses and when it's measured. To see where SA sits now against other states, check police pay in Australia 2026.

Four 4% rises compound to 17%, not 16%. The midpoint can only add to that, never take away.

PASA says the agreement also includes a range of non-salary improvements. None of them had published percentages or dollar amounts when we checked, so we can't put a value on them yet.

For many officers, the front-line allowance could matter more than one of the percentage rises. Until the rate and the eligibility rules (who counts as "experienced", which roles count as front-line) are in the ballot material, its value is unknown. Current SAPOL allowances, including on-call and country incentives, are set out in the SA Police pay deal guide.

PASA describes the next step as "a vote of members". In law, the test is wider: the Fair Work Act 1994 (SA) requires that a majority of the employees covered have given informed and genuine consent. So what matters for approval is consent from the officers the agreement covers, not just a union decision.

1. 1

   Terms agreed in principle

   16 September 2026

   PASA and the government agree the proposal. PASA agreed it in principle and, according to coverage that day, will advocate for members to vote in favour.

2. 2

   Ballot material and the vote

   Expected 'in the coming weeks'

   Members get the proposed agreement and explanatory material, then vote. PASA hadn't published dates or the result publicly by 9 October 2026.

3. 3

   Result announced

   Not yet published

   If a majority supports it, the agreement goes to the tribunal. If not, the parties return to negotiations.

4. 4

   Application to SAET

   After a yes vote

   The agreement is lodged with the South Australian Employment Tribunal for approval.

5. 5

   Approval and first rise

   January 2027, if on time

   Once approved, the agreement operates and the first 4% applies from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027.

We haven't confirmed how the ballot is run (online, postal or at meetings) or what turnout threshold, if any, PASA applies. Those details come from PASA's member communications.

An SA police enterprise agreement isn't binding until SAET approves it. Under the Fair Work Act 1994 (SA), the tribunal must be satisfied of three things. A majority of employees must have given informed and genuine consent. The agreement must be in their best interests. And it must not be inferior, as a package, to the award (here, the Police Officers Award).

Separately, SAET's notices show a triennial review of the Police Officers Award under section 99 of the Act (matter ET-26-00504). That's the award your agreement sits on top of; it isn't the pay deal, but it's worth watching because the "not inferior to the award" test is measured against it.

A no vote doesn't cut anyone's pay. The 2021 agreement, read with the Police Officers Award, keeps applying, and January 2026 rates stay in place. What you'd lose is time: no new rise is scheduled, so there would be no increase in January 2027 until a revised deal is agreed, voted on and approved.

Every month without an agreement after January 2027 costs a Probationary Constable about $278 and a top-increment Sergeant about $451 in gross pay, unless a later deal is backdated. Whether it would be is a matter for negotiation. This page explains the offer; how to vote is your decision, and PASA is the place to ask questions.

A good ballot decision depends on the agreement text, not the press release. If the ballot material doesn't answer these, ask PASA before the vote closes.

Once the result is in, the police pay deal tracker will show SA's new status next to every other force. If you're weighing a move to SA, see how to become a police officer in SA and the SA Police hub. For how back pay would be taxed if approval runs late, read back pay and tax for police.