General News
9 November, 2026
Workers seal pay increases
CASSOWARY Coast Regional Council has formally moved to finalise a new enterprise bargaining agreement after council staff overwhelmingly voted in favour of the proposed terms earlier this month.
At a special council meeting last month, councillors approved a recommendation to proceed with signing the Cassowary Coast Regional Council Certified Agreement 2026 alongside union representatives.
Officers will now submit a formal application to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) for final certification, which will also officially terminate the expired 2023 agreement.
The decision follows an extensive negotiation process that began in March 2026.
Over the course of eight formal bargaining sessions and several drafting workshops, council representatives and union delegates negotiated the framework governing employee wages, allowances, and working conditions across the region.
When put to a workplace ballot on 7 and 8 October, the proposal received strong support from the workforce.
Out of 372 eligible employees, 252 cast valid votes, returning an 88.9% “yes” vote – a result council officers described as a clear endorsement of the negotiated outcomes and a strong indicator of organisational readiness.
Under the terms of the 2026 agreement – to run through to 20 June 2029 – council employees will receive structured wage increases across its three-year term.
A 4% wage increase backdated to 1 July 2026, has already been administratively applied and paid on September 29.
Subsequent wage increases of 4.75% will take effect in July 2027 and July 2028.
In addition to wage adjustments, general allowances will see a 4.75% boost in both 2027 and 2028.
The agreement also standardises locality allowances across all award streams over a three-year period, aligning rates with the ‘Mission Beach benchmark’ of $101.10 per fortnight.
The new agreement introduces several modernised workplace conditions aimed at improving flexibility, work-life balance, and employee support.
Key highlights include:
Expanded RDO Access: Stream A award employees can now apply to access a nine-day fortnight RDO scheme.
Enhanced Leave Provisions: Up to 10 additional paid days for significant illness, up to 20 days of paid domestic and family violence leave, and the option to purchase up to four weeks of additional leave.
Updated Working Conditions: Revised Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) provisions and structured job classification review processes.
Chief executive officer Andrew Graffen has been tasked with ensuring the seamless implementation of the new provisions once certification is granted by the QIRC.
Council confirmed that the financial impact of the agreement has been fully provisioned within the 2026-2027 operational budget.
Read More: Cassowary Coast