UNSW Professional Staff Salary: Pay Floors, Enterprise Agreement Rates and the Weekly Packet

Understanding the UNSW professional staff salary

When you search for "unsw professional staff salary", you are looking at the pay rates set by the UNSW Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement 2023. This agreement covers most professional (non-academic) staff at the University of New South Wales. It replaces the modern award that would otherwise apply (likely the Professional Employees Award 2020) and sets minimum salaries that are significantly higher than the national minimum wage.

Legal minimum vs enterprise agreement

The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a 38-hour week. However, UNSW professional staff are not paid under that floor. The enterprise agreement, approved by the Fair Work Commission in November 2023, overrides the award. The lowest classification (Level 1) from 1 July 2026 pays $33.6334 per hour (for a 38-hour week) or $66,460 per year. For a 35-hour week (which applies to some historical contracts) the annual salary is $61,213. These rates are from Schedule 1 of the agreement, as published on the UNSW Human Resources website .

How superannuation fits

Employer superannuation is paid on top of the base salary. For non-casual professional staff, the agreement requires 17% employer contributions (clause 13.0 of the enterprise agreement ). That is far above the 12% Super Guarantee that applies to most Australian workers. So a Level 1 employee on $66,460 receives an additional $11,298 in super, making total remuneration $77,758. Casual staff receive the statutory Super Guarantee rate (12% from 1 July 2026) plus a 25% casual loading on the hourly base rate.

The weekly packet: tax, Medicare, and super on top

What does a UNSW professional staff salary look like in the hand each week? Using the Level 1 annual salary of $66,460 (38-hour week), we can estimate the weekly take-home after tax and Medicare. For the 2026-27 income year, a resident with the full tax-free threshold and no other deductions would pay approximately $6,070 in income tax and $1,329 in Medicare levy (2% of taxable income above $30,000). That leaves about $59,061 per year, or $1,135 per week. This is a rough guide only – your actual tax may differ due to HELP repayments, salary sacrifice, or the low-income tax offset. The key point: the weekly packet is well above the national minimum weekly of $1,004.90, but below the average full-time adult ordinary time earnings of $2,083.70 reported by the ABS for May 2026.

Comparison with national averages

The ABS May 2026 data shows full-time adult ordinary time earnings of $2,083.70 per week, and all employees average total earnings of $1,579.20 per week. UNSW Level 1 at $1,278 per week is below both averages. However, UNSW has many higher classifications (Levels 2 to 10) with salaries up to $167,885 per year (Level 10, 35-hour week). So the keyword "unsw professional staff salary" covers a wide range. The enterprise agreement ensures that even the lowest paid professional staff earn a living wage that exceeds the legal minimum.

How the figures work

All rates in this guide are from the UNSW Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement 2023, Schedule 1, as displayed on the UNSW website. The national minimum wage and award rates are from the Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work Commission. The ABS average earnings are from the May 2026 release. For more on how we calculate weekly packets, see our How the figures work page. For a full list of UNSW professional staff rates by level, visit our Rate tables page.

Important notes

• The enterprise agreement applies to most UNSW professional staff, but some casuals, trainees, and supported wage employees have different rates.
• The agreement nominally expires on 31 July 2026, but continues to apply until a new agreement is approved.
• This guide is for information only and is not a pay determination or tax advice. Always refer to the enterprise agreement or consult with UNSW Human Resources for your specific salary.