Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Minimum wages increase and gender equity reforms ahead for the Health Professionals Award
The Fair Work Commission has approved changes to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award (HPSS Award) that may be relevant to some sonographers and employers.
From 1 July 2026, minimum wages under modern awards increased by 4.75% following the Commission's Annual Wage Review. In addition, the Commission is introducing a series of gender equity-related increases for degree-qualified allied health professionals covered by the HPSS Award. These increases will be phased in between October 2026 and June 2030, on top of any Annual Wage Review outcomes, and form part of the Commission’s broader gender undervaluation review of 5 priority Awards.
An important reform will change how employees progress through the Award's classification structure, which the Commission found could disproportionately disadvantage part-time employees. Instead of progressing based on hours worked, progression will be based on years of professional experience. This will replace an earlier provision that required part-time and casual employees to accumulate 1,824 hours before progressing. While not all sonographers are employed under the HPSS Award, the drivers behind these reforms are significant for the profession. Almost 80% of ASA members are women, and our last Salary and Employment Survey indicated that over 50% of Australian sonographers worked part-time.
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More information about Employment Awards can be found by visitng the ASA Workplace Resources page.