Victoria Police pay deal
what the 4.5% really means

Victoria Police pay is set by the Victoria Police (Police Officers, Protective Services Officers, Police Reservists and Police Recruits) Enterprise Agreement 2025. It was made on 28 February 2025, approved by the Fair Work Commission on 4 April 2025 ([2025] FWCA 1135, AE528554) and has a nominal expiry of 31 May 2028. It covers sworn police, Protective Services Officers, police reservists and recruits.

Schedule A has four pay columns: 24 January 2025, 1 June 2025, 1 June 2026 (current) and 1 June 2027. Every figure above already includes the 13% commuted penalty built into the ordinary rate. It doesn't include the new allowances, which is where the rest of the headline increase sits. Follow every force's progress on the pay deal tracker.

This agreement took almost two years to land. Bargaining began in June 2023 and broke down more than once. The pay rate at the heart of it was the same thing people still argue about: how much of the increase is in base salary and how much is in allowances.

1. 1

   Bargaining begins

   June 2023

   Talks for a replacement agreement start between Victoria Police and the Police Federation of Australia.

2. 2

   Proposed agreement rejected

   Mid-2024

   A deal supported by both bargaining sides was voted down by employees, mainly over wage rises and a proposed roster. The union had sought 6% a year plus back pay; Victoria Police was limited to 3% by government policy.

3. 3

   Industrial action and an intractable bargaining bid

   From September 2024

   Protected industrial action was under way. Victoria Police applied to the FWC for an intractable bargaining declaration; the FWC refused, finding room for further negotiation despite 117 bargaining meetings.

4. 4

   Members vote yes

   28 February 2025

   76% yes on a 91% turnout of about 16,000. The minister described 4.5% a year for all members plus an extra 0.5% for general duties uniform; the ABC reported 20% over 4 years for the frontline and 18% minimum. The dispute contributed to Chief Commissioner Shane Patton's exit.

5. 5

   FWC approval

   4 April 2025

   [2025] FWCA 1135, AG2025/651. The agreement operates 7 days after approval.

6. 6

   Pay columns take effect

   2025 to 2026

   24 January 2025, then 3% on 1 June 2025 and 1 June 2026. Constable 1 is now $84,060.

The way the deal squared a 3% wages cap with a much larger headline is the key to understanding your pay. It kept Schedule A at 3% a step and put the extra into allowances, explained in the next section. The history above comes from the FWC case summary published by Normans and from ABC reporting.

Every Schedule A step in the agreement is exactly 3.0%. Constable 1 went from $79,235 to $81,612 in June 2025, then to $84,060 in June 2026, and goes to $86,582 in June 2027. Over the life of the pay schedule that's 9.27%. The rest of the "4.5%" comes from allowances that start small in January 2025 and step up each June.

On our calculation, a general duties Constable 1 who qualifies for everything gets a total rise of about 4.44% in June 2026, close to the headline. A member outside Regional Operations general duties, such as highway patrol, investigators or PSOs, misses the General Duties Allowance, and their total is nearer 3.96%. Over the full agreement, the general duties package grows 13.94% from January 2025 to June 2027.

The table shows the Schedule A ordinary rate for key ranks in each of the agreement's four columns. The June 2027 column is already written into the agreement, so it's certain unless the agreement is replaced first. Rates apply from the first full pay period on or after each date.

Recruits are paid the Recruit rate until they're sworn in at the end of week 12, then move to Constable point 1. Leading Senior Constable (points 13 to 16) sits inside Level 2. Every point is on the Victoria Police salary page.

Because every step is 3%, the dollar rise grows with seniority: a Sergeant 6 gains more than a Constable 1 from the same percentage. For most sworn members the allowance increases add several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars a year on top, depending on your role and point.

The 2025 agreement added or expanded several allowances that are paid on top of the ordinary rate. Most rise on the same four dates as Schedule A, but at faster rates in the early years, because they were designed to phase in.

The retention allowance (cl 72, Schedule D) is a flat amount by rank, for example $798 for a Recruit, $1,096 for Constable 1 and $1,813 for Sergeant 1, with no increases over the agreement. Detectives get commuted overtime in place of overtime: $14,157 a year (from 1 Jun 2026) for Constables and Senior Constables with Operational Readiness.

The new deal had to cover pay from 1 June 2024, but it wasn't approved until April 2025. The agreement handled the gap two ways. The period from 1 June 2024 to 23 January 2025 was covered by a lump-sum Patience in Bargaining payment. The first pay column then started on 24 January 2025, before the agreement was approved.

1. 1

   1 June 2024 to 23 January 2025

   Lump sum

   Covered by the Patience in Bargaining lump sum rather than higher rates. The amount isn't in our data.

2. 2

   24 January 2025 to approval

   Back pay

   The first Schedule A column applied from 24 January 2025, but the agreement only operated from 7 days after the 4 April 2025 approval, so the difference for those weeks could only reach members as back pay after payroll loaded the new rates.

3. 3

   1 June 2025 onwards

   On time

   Each new column applies from its date, as normal.

A lump sum and backdated rates aren't the same. Backdated rates flow into overtime and anything calculated on salary for the period; a fixed lump sum doesn't. Both are taxed in the year you receive them, using the ATO's method for back payments, so the payslip that carries them can show high withholding.

The final scheduled rise is on 1 June 2027: 3% on Schedule A and the last step of the phased allowances. After that, pay stays flat until a new agreement is made. The nominal expiry is 31 May 2028, so bargaining for a replacement would normally begin well before then.

The November 2026 state election matters for police numbers rather than pay. Labor has pledged 1,500 extra police and a new academy in Wyndham; the Liberal Opposition has pledged 3,000 extra police, including overseas recruits with a $5,000 relocation allowance (from a secondary report). Neither is a pay offer, and the agreement runs to 2028 whoever wins. Our research didn't cover the Victorian government's current wages policy for the next round.

After June 2027 there are no more scheduled rises. Every month between then and a new agreement is a month at 2027 rates.

1. 1

   Labor pledges 1,500 extra police and a new Wyndham academy

   13 September 2026

   The pledge would take police numbers to just over 17,000, with fast-tracking for veterans and PSOs. The state election is in November 2026.

2. 2

   Retired officers rejoin as reservists

   16 August 2026

   450 retired officers applied to return as frontline support officers ($86,188 full time) and 600 more expressed interest; minimum 2 years' prior service (Australia, NZ or UK). 200 positions by Dec 2026 and 200 more from early 2027. TPAV cites 1,407 vacancies.

3. 3

   Applications hit a seven-year high

   July 2026

   9,007 applications in 2025-26 (7,677 the year before), the highest since 2018-19 (9,799); 400 reservist positions.

4. 4

   Police numbers fall to 15,564 FTE

   30 June 2026

   Employed FTE: 15,564.32 police, 293 recruits, 1,431.92 PSOs (+49 in training), 291.61 PCOs (+8 in training).

5. 5

   Regional academy announced for Mildura

   12 June 2026

   A 25-week program for up to 25 recruits per course from 18 Jan 2027. Capacity of 100 a year is from a public summaries only (not verified).

6. 6

   3% rise to Schedule A pay rates

   1 June 2026

   The third pay column of the 2025 agreement took effect: Constable 1 now $84,060 and Recruit $61,187. Allowances also rose, including the Operational Readiness Allowance (Constable 1 $2,644).

7. 7

   Recruit intake doubled to 1,300 a year

   1 May 2026

   More than 1,500 vacancies; training cut to a 25-week fast track; 52 recruits inducted every 2 weeks; 8,700 applicants the previous year.

8. 8

   Liberals pledge 3,000 extra police

   12 April 2026

   Includes 1,500 experienced officers recruited from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand with a $5,000 relocation allowance each, and reopening or restoring hours at 40+ stations; costed at $565m over four years (ABC, AAP and the Liberal Party release, 12 April 2026). An election commitment, not policy.

9. 9

   Annual report: police FTE down to 15,909

   28 June 2025

   15,909 police, 110 recruits, 1,462 PSOs and 321 PCOs (down from 16,059 police in June 2024).

10. 10

    3% rise to Schedule A pay rates

    1 June 2025

    The second pay column of the 2025 agreement took effect (Constable 1 $81,612).

11. 11

    Fair Work Commission approves the 2025 agreement

    4 April 2025

    [2025] FWCA 1135, AG2025/651, AE528554; nominal expiry 31 May 2028. Schedule A base rates rise 3.0% each step; the larger headline percentage comes from the new Operational Readiness and General Duties allowances. A Patience in Bargaining lump sum covered 1 Jun 2024 to 23 Jan 2025.

12. 12

    Members vote for the pay deal

    28 February 2025

    76% yes on a 91% turnout of about 16,000. The minister described it as 4.5% a year for all members plus an extra 0.5% for general duties uniform; the ABC reported 20% over 4 years for frontline and 18% minimum. The dispute contributed to Chief Commissioner Shane Patton's exit.

With five allowances phasing in and different eligibility rules, it's worth checking each June payslip against the agreement. These checks cover the common problems.

If anything is missing, raise it with Victoria Police payroll, then TPAV. Compare your package with other forces in the national police salary guide and the pay comparison calculator, and see the NSW and Queensland deals for how other forces structured their rises.