Tasmania Police pay deal
3%, 3%, 2.75% and the uplift question

Tasmania Police pay is set by Police Award No. 2 of 2026 (Consolidated), made by the Tasmanian Industrial Commission (TIC), President D Barclay, on 4 March 2026 in matter T15311 of 2026. It operates from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025 and replaces Police Award No. 1 of 2026.

Unusually, the award already contains all four salary columns: the December 2024 base and the rates from December 2025, December 2026 and December 2027. So the two remaining rises happen automatically. Nobody needs to vote again, and no further tribunal decision is needed.

The 2025 round was the most contested in recent Tasmanian policing. Members of the Police Association of Tasmania (PAT) rejected two offers before a small majority accepted the third on 24 December 2025. Vote numbers and the non-pay terms come from news reports, not official documents. The percentages and dates are confirmed in the award.

1. 1

   First offer rejected

   October 2025

   Nearly 1,000 officers vote against an earlier offer. PAT President Shane Tilley calls it disrespectful.

2. 2

   Second offer rejected

   Reported 14 December 2025

   An offer of 3%, 3% and 2.75% is rejected. PAT says Tasmanian police earn about 16.8% below the national average (PAT's figure).

3. 3

   Third offer accepted

   Reported 24 December 2025

   A small majority back the government's third offer, with about 600 voting against. It keeps 3%, 3% and 2.75%, lifts the 24-hour station allowance from 24% to 28% and adds a guarantee of an uplift if other state servants get more. It's funded by reallocating money set aside for 50 new police positions.

4. 4

   Award made by the TIC

   4 March 2026

   Police Award No. 2 of 2026 (Consolidated) is made with the full salary table, a specialist allowance and special leave changes, operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025.

The third offer kept the same percentages as the second. As reported, what changed was the package around them: the higher 24-hour allowance and the uplift guarantee. We haven't seen the offers side by side, so we can't say whether anything else changed between the second and third offers.

The percentages didn't move between offers two and three. The allowance and the guarantee did.

The biggest change for most front-line officers was the shift and penalty allowance for 24-hour rotational rosters, now 28% of normal salary. It's paid instead of all shift, weekend and public holiday penalties, so the same rate applies whether you work nights, weekends or Christmas Day. News reports put it at 24% before this deal; we haven't confirmed the old rate in an official source.

At December 2025 rates, the reported four-point increase in the 24-hour allowance is worth about $2,941 a year to a Constable Level 1 ($73,518 × 4%). That's on top of the 3% salary rise, which is worth $2,141 on its own.

Every Tasmanian rise takes effect from the first full pay period on or after the date shown, not on the date itself. If 1 December falls mid-fortnight, your new rate starts with the next full fortnight.

The full salary history at key levels

The next rise is 3%, but what you notice is the change in your fortnightly pay after tax. The table shows both, using 2026-27 tax rates.

Because shift allowances are a percentage of salary, they rise too. A Constable Level 1 on a 24-hour roster goes from $94,103 to $96,927 including the 28% allowance (our calculation), a gain of $2,824 a year. At the top of the constable scale, Level 13(ii), the base salary rise alone is $3,222.

Overtime moves with it. Constables and Sergeants are paid double time for all overtime, at double the normal salary rate, so each rise also lifts the value of every overtime hour. Compare forces in police overtime and penalty rates.

When officers accepted the third offer, PAT President Shane Tilley said police would "receive an uplift if any other state service employee receives more" (Pulse Tasmania, 24 December 2025). The idea is simple: if the government gave other state servants a better deal later, police wouldn't be left behind.

The award's salary table contains only the 3%, 3% and 2.75% rates. We haven't seen the guarantee's formal wording, so we can't say exactly what has to happen to trigger it or how an uplift would be calculated.

Why the question is live

On 20 March 2026 the Premier announced a three-year package for more than 15,000 state service employees. As summarised in search results (the page blocks automated access), it matched police at 3%, 3% and 2.75%, described as in line with the offer accepted by police. It also included a further boost to salaries for the majority of state servants covered.

The deal was accepted on 24 December 2025 and the consolidated award was made on 4 March 2026, but it operates from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025. So for the months between December and the new rates reaching the payroll, officers were owed the difference as arrears.

We haven't found official detail on when the arrears were paid. For the December 2026 and December 2027 rises, no arrears should arise: the rates are already in the award, so payroll can apply them from the right pay period. If your December 2026 pay doesn't show the new rate, raise it with payroll straight away.

The award's salary table ends with the December 2027 column. After that, Tasmania Police pay needs a new agreement and a new award variation. We haven't found a published timetable for the next round, or a statement of the government's wages policy beyond the current three-year state service package.

Two things will shape the next round. First, the comparison with other states: PAT's 16.8% gap claim was central to the 2025 dispute, and SA's proposed 4% a year raises the bar further. Second, the uplift guarantee: if it's never triggered, expect the association to push for clearer wording next time.

Tasmania's rises are the lowest of the four in percentage terms, but they're certain and already in the award. SA's 4% a year is only a proposal until members vote and the tribunal approves it; see the SA Police pay deal. The NT front-loaded its deal with 5% and 4% (see the NT Police pay deal), and the AFP's last rise under its current agreement is 2.7% (see the AFP pay deal). For the other four forces, see the police pay deal tracker, which shows the status of every agreement in Australia, and compare current pay scales in police pay in Australia 2026.

Pay and workforce news from our Tasmania data file, newest first. Where a date is only a month, the source didn't give a day. For recruitment, pay and conditions in one place, see our Tasmania Police hub.

1. 1

   19 graduate as force hits record 1,479

   25 July 2026

   Course 1/2026 (10 women, 9 men) graduated; the force is at a record 1,479 officers; the Northern Recruit Course was promoted.

2. 2

   Police Award No. 2 of 2026 made by the TIC

   4 March 2026

   Consolidated award with a new salary table, specialist allowance and special leave changes, operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 Dec 2025.

3. 3

   21 new constables join Tasmania Police (course 4/2025)

   13 February 2026

   Graduation of 21 new constables (media release; not independently verified).

4. 4

   Police back three-year pay deal

   24 December 2025

   Reported: the third offer was accepted by a small majority (about 600 against): 3%, 3%, 2.75%; 24-hour shift allowance lifted from 24% to 28%; an uplift guarantee if other state servants get more; funded by dropping 50 new positions. The percentages and dates are confirmed in the award; the rest is from the news report.

5. 5

   Police reject second offer as pay gap widens

   14 December 2025

   Reported: an offer of 3%/3%/2.75% was rejected; the Police Association of Tasmania said Tasmanian police earn about 16.8% below the national average.

6. 6

   Police reject first wage offer

   October 2025

   Reported: nearly 1,000 officers rejected an earlier offer.