Wednesday 17 June 2026
The Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association of WA (CPSU/CSA) has today secured transformational modernisation of the District Allowance (Government Officers) Agreement 2010 (the District Allowance), benefiting thousands of regional public sector workers by up to $7,000 per annum.
CPSU/CSA delegates and members across the breadth and width of Western Australia have spent the past several months advocating to the WA Government that the District Allowance was in dire need of modernisation. The broken allowance, which has not been renegotiated since 2010, is no longer functioning as part of the critical infrastructure to ensure effective delivery public services in regional WA. Today a four-week ballot period closed, where CPSU/CSA members eligible for the District Allowance overwhelmingly endorsed the offer, after leading research, development, bargaining and soon drafting of a new agreement for the better part of two years.
The accepted offer significantly modernises the methodology, improving both the financial quantum and its application. The allowance is simplified into five grades, with locations then graded against five regional disadvantage factors, including remoteness, cost-of-living, temperature and population size. With an immediate increase of 5%, followed by annual increases in line with the Public Sector CSA Agreement 2024 (or as replaced), no public sector worker will go backwards. The CPSU/CSA has achieved this on behalf of regional public sector workers covered by the WA Police Union, State School Teachers Union, Health Services Union, Professionals Australia and Australian Services Union.
CPSU/CSA Branch Secretary, Melanie Bray, said it was the dedicated, passionate, knowledgeable and local CPSU/CSA delegates and members from right across our vast state who led the work, made their stories unignorable and secured this transformational District Allowance.
“This modernised district allowance, secured by CPSU/CSA members, will benefit thousands of regional public sector workers, including child safety practitioners, road checkpoint quarantine officers, police, teachers and allied health professionals. It reflects the reality of regional public sector work today, empowers the diversity of our regional centres and ensures workers are appropriately renumerated in recognition of their regional challenges.
“The offer secured by CPSU/CSA members is significant, with improved regional disadvantage factors putting an end to similar allowances across a regional district. In the Goldfields-Esperance region, rates formerly ranged from $2,354 to $2,734. Allowances will now range from $3,620 for Kalgoorlie and up to $9,921 in very remote locations such as Eucla and Leonora. Plus, previously exempt remote locations, such as Merredin and Gnowangerup will now receive the newly secured base rate of $1,040.
Quote attributable to Raphael Sauvage, a CPSU/CSA Delegate from the Goldfields-Esperance region:
“WA farmers rely on the biosecurity services my colleagues and I provide - but living 1000km from the nearest city, it has been hard to live a dignified life while providing them. The new district allowance scheme means remote government employees can rely on fair compensation both now and into the future.”
ENDS
- The full offer and the union’s Media Explainer can be found in our District Allowance Media Kit
- The CPSU/CSA covers 44,000 general public sector workers, one-quarter of the WA public sector, including child protection officers, youth custodial officers, park rangers, veterinary scientists and dental technicians
- Note to Journalists: Please ensure the full acronym, “CPSU/CSA” when mentioning us. “CPSU” is typically used to refer to the Union that covers Commonwealth, ACT and NT public sector workers. We are related but separate organisations.
For more information or to arrange further comment from CPSU/CSA Branch Secretary Melanie Bray:
Alex Wallace
CPSU/CSA Media and Stakeholder Officer
M: 0421 934 794 E: [email protected]
