2025 WAIRC 00542
Enrolled Nurses and Nursing Assistants (Private) Award No. 8 of 1978

1B. - MINIMUM ADULT AWARD WAGE

(1) No employee aged 21 or more shall be paid less than the minimum adult award wage unless otherwise provided by this clause.

(2) The minimum adult award wage for full-time employees aged 21 or more working under an award that provides for a 38-hour week is $953.00 per week.

The minimum adult award wage for full-time employees aged 21 or more working under awards that provide for other than a 38-hour week is calculated as follows: divide $953.00 by 38 and multiply by the number of ordinary hours prescribed for a full-time employee under the award.

The minimum adult award wage is payable from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2025.

(3) The minimum adult award wage is deemed to include all State Wage order adjustments from State Wage Case decisions.

(4) Unless otherwise provided in this clause adults aged 21 or more employed as casuals, part-time employees or piece workers or employees who are remunerated wholly on the basis of payment by results, shall not be paid less than pro rata the minimum adult award wage according to the hours worked.

(5) Employees under the age of 21 shall be paid no less than the wage determined by applying the percentage prescribed in the junior rates provision in this award (if applicable) to the minimum adult award wage, provided that no employee shall be paid less than any applicable minimum rate of pay prescribed by the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993.

(6) The minimum adult award wage shall not apply to apprentices, employees engaged on traineeships or government approved work placement programs or employed under the Commonwealth Government Supported Wage System or to other categories of employees who by prescription are paid less than the minimum award rate, provided that no employee shall be paid less than any applicable minimum rate of pay prescribed by the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993.

(7) Liberty to apply is reserved in relation to any special category of employees not included here or otherwise in relation to the application of the minimum adult award wage.

(8) Subject to this clause the minimum adult award wage shall –

(a) Apply to all work in ordinary hours.

(b) Apply to the calculation of overtime and all other penalty rates, superannuation, payments during any period of paid leave and for all purposes of this award.

(9) Minimum Adult Award Wage

The rates of pay in this award include the minimum weekly wage for employees aged 21 or more payable under the 2025 State Wage order. Any increase arising from the insertion of the minimum wage will be offset against any equivalent amount in rates of pay received by employees whose wages and conditions of employment are regulated by this award which are above the wage rates prescribed in the award. Such above award payments include wages payable pursuant to enterprise agreements, consent awards or award variations to give effect to enterprise agreements and over award arrangements. Absorption which is contrary to the terms of an agreement is not required.

Increases under previous State Wage Case Principles or under the current Statement of Principles, excepting those resulting from enterprise agreements, are not to be used to offset the minimum wage.

(10) Adult Apprentices

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this clause, the minimum adult apprentice wage for a full-time apprentice aged 21 years or more working under an award that provides for a 38-hour week is $791.30 per week.

(b) The minimum adult apprentice wage for a full-time apprentice aged 21 years or more working under an award that provides for other than a 38-hour week is calculated as follows: divide $791.30 by 38 and multiply by the number of ordinary hours prescribed for a full-time apprentice under the award.

(c) The minimum adult apprentice wage is payable from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2025.

(d) Adult apprentices aged 21 years or more employed on a part-time basis shall not be paid less than pro rata the minimum adult apprentice wage according to the hours worked.

(e) The rates paid in the paragraphs above to an apprentice 21 years of age or more are payable on superannuation and during any period of paid leave prescribed by this award.

(f) Where in this award an additional rate is expressed as a percentage, fraction or multiple of the ordinary rate of pay, it shall be calculated upon the rate prescribed in this award for the actual year of apprenticeship.




30. - WAGES

(1) The minimum rate of wage payable to employees covered by this award shall be as follows:



Base Rate $
Arbitrated Safety Net Adjustment $
Minimum Weekly Rate $
(a) Trainee Enrolled Nurse



1st year of training


953.00
2nd year of training


953.00
(b) Enrolled Nurse Level One



1st year of employment
419.10
638.70
1057.80
2nd year of employment
424.10
640.70
1064.80
3rd year of employment and thereafter
435.00
644.50
1079.50
(c) Enrolled Nurse Level Two



1st year of employment
428.20
642.30
1070.50
2nd year of employment
433.30
644.10
1077.40
3rd year of employment and thereafter
444.10
648.10
1092.20
(d) Enrolled Nurse Level Three
456.30
652.90
1109.20
(e) Nursing Assistant (at 19 years of age and over)



1st year of employment
377.70
621.00
998.70
2nd year of employment
388.00
624.00
1012.00
3rd year of employment and thereafter
398.50
627.00
1025.50





(f) Nursing Assistant (under 19 years of age) shall be paid a percentage of the total weekly wage prescribed for a Nursing Assistant in their first year of employment in subclause (1)(e) hereof as follows:

Under 17 years of age
73%
Under 18 years of age
81%
Under 19 years of age
87%

(g) Provided that an Enrolled Nurse undergoing training in a post basic course approved by the Nurses' Board of W A will be paid the '1st year of employment' rate of wage at the appropriate level during the training period.

(h) Provided further that an Enrolled Nurse (Student) who is 21 years of age or over shall be paid at the rate applicable to a Nursing Assistant (at 19 years of age and over) at the 'first year of employment' rate.

(i) The rates of pay in this award include arbitrated safety net adjustments available since December 1993, under the Arbitrated Safety Net Adjustment Principle.

These arbitrated safety net adjustments may be offset against any equivalent amount in the rate of pay received by employees since 1 November 1991 above the rate prescribed in the Award, except where such absorption is contrary to the terms of an industrial agreement.

Increases in rates of pay otherwise made under the State Wage Case Principles, excepting those resulting from enterprise agreements, are not to be used to offset arbitrated safety net adjustments.

(2) (a) The rate of wage prescribed in subclause (1) of this clause for an enrolled nurse student shall be varied so as to maintain the relationship that exists as at the date of this order with the rates prescribed for a student nurse in his/her first and second years of experience as contained in the Nurses' (Private Hospitals) Award No. 1 of 1966.

(b) No employee, who at the date of this order was in receipt of a rate of wage higher than that prescribed herein for his/her classification of work, shall have that rate reduced by the operation of this clause.

(c) A nursing assistant who has completed his/her first year of employment and who is accepted for training as an enrolled nurse shall be paid not less than he/she would have received had he/she continued as a Nursing Assistant.

(d) Any employee who has passed the examination for registration prescribed by the Nurses' Board of Western Australia shall, for the purpose of this clause, be deemed to be an enrolled nurse.

(3) (a) When the term "year of employment" is used in this clause it shall mean all service whether full time or part time in any of the classifications contained in this award with any hospital covered by this award and shall be calculated in periods of completed months from the date of commencement of work covered by this award.

(b) The service referred to in paragraph (a) hereof may be increased by any similar service with hospitals not covered by this award, and in the event of a dispute between an employer and the Union over the inclusion of such service for the purpose of determining the year of employment the dispute may be referred to the Industrial Relations Commission for determination.

(c) Employees shall be paid the rates shown in this clause according to their year of employment calculated in accordance with the provisions of this subclause subject to satisfactory performance. Proof of previous service, if required by the employer, shall rest on the employee; provided that production of the certificate or certificates referred to in paragraph (d) hereof shall be sufficient proof for the purpose of this paragraph.

(d) Each employee whose service terminates shall at the time of termination be given a certificate signed by the employer in which shall be stated the name of the employee, the period of service, whether the service was full time or part time and the classifications in this award in which work has been carried out.

Provided that where an employee terminates without that employee having given the prescribed period of notice, the employer shall be under no obligation to provide the certificate at the time of termination. The employee shall however, be entitled to request and receive the certificate at any time after the termination.

(4) Minimum Wage: No employee employed under this award who is 21 years of age or over shall receive less than the minimum wage prescribed from time to time by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

(5) The hourly rate for an employee working an average of 38 hours per week shall be calculated by dividing the weekly rate herein expressed by 40.

(6) The hourly rate for an employee actually working 38 hours shall be calculated by dividing the weekly rate herein expressed by 38.