Employers in the WA state industrial relations system are required under many WA awards, to pay location allowance to employees employed in certain regional towns. Location allowance varies by town, based on the additional cost of living, climatic discomfort, and isolation in these towns.
The WA awards which require location allowance to be paid and the location allowance amount for each town are listed below.
Junior employees, casual employees, part time employees, apprentices and trainees must be paid location allowance based on the proportion which their weekly rate of pay is to the adult rate in the relevant WA award.
Location allowance is paid when an employee is on annual leave. If an employee goes on long service leave or other approved leave with pay, location allowance must be paid for any time they remain in the town in which they are employed.
Each year, location allowance rates are updated by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, with new rates effective from the first pay period on or after 1 July each year.
WA awards requiring location allowance to be paid
Show moreThe following WA awards require location allowance to be paid under the annual Location Allowance General Order issued by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
Other WA awards may have provisions for a district allowance that is not covered by these provisions. Check the relevant WA award summary or copy of the award on the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission website
Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturing Industry Award
Aged and Disabled Persons Hostels Award
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry (Construction and Servicing) Award
Animal Welfare Industry Award
Artworkers Award
The Australian Workers Union Road Maintenance, Marking and Traffic Management Award
Bakers’ (Country) Award
Building Trades Award
Building Trades (Construction) Award
Child Care (Out of School Care - Playleaders) Award
Children's Services (Private) Award
Cleaners and Caretakers Award
Cleaners and Caretakers (Car and Caravan Parks) Award
Clerks' (Accountants' Employees) Award
Clerks (Commercial, Social and Professional Services) Award
Clerks' (Customs and/or Shipping and/or Forwarding Agents) Award
Clerks' (Hotels, Motels and Clubs) Award
Clerks (Timber) Award
Clerks (Unions and Labor Movement) Award
Clerks' (Wholesale & Retail Establishments) Award
Clothing Trades Award
Contract Cleaners Award
Contract Cleaners' (Ministry of Education) Award
Crisis Assistance, Supported Housing Industry - Western Australian Interim Award
Dental Technicians' and Attendant/Receptionists’ Award
The Draughtsmen's, Tracers', Planners' and Technical Officers' Award
Dry Cleaning and Laundry Award
Earth Moving and Construction Award
Electrical Contracting Industry Award
Electrical Trades (Security Alarms Industry) Award
Electronics Industry Award
Engine Drivers' (Building and Steel Construction) Award
Engine Drivers' (General) Award
Enrolled Nurses and Nursing Assistants (Private) Award
Fast Food Outlets Award
Foremen (Building Trades) Award
Funeral Directors' Assistants' Award
Furniture Trades Industry Award
Gate, Fence and Frames Manufacturing Award
Golf Link and Bowling Green Employees' Award
Hairdressers Award
The Horticultural (Nursery) Industry Award
Industrial Spraypainting and Sandblasting Award
Independent Schools Administrative and Technical Officers Award
Independent Schools (Boarding House) Supervisory Staff Award
Independent Schools Psychologists and Social Workers Award
Independent Schools' Teachers' Award
Landscape Gardening Industry Award
Licensed Establishments (Retail and Wholesale) Award
Local Government Officers’ (Western Australia) Award
Meat Industry (State) Award
Metal Trades (General) Award
Motel, Hostel, Service Flats and Boarding House Workers' Award
Motor Vehicle (Service Station, Sales Establishments, Rust Prevention and Paint Protection), Industry Award
Municipal Employees (Western Australia) Award
Nurses' (Day Care Centres) Award
Nurses (Dentists Surgeries) Award
Nurses (Doctors Surgeries) Award
Nurses’ (Independent Schools) Award
Nurses' (Private Hospitals) Award
Pastrycooks' Award
Pest Control Industry Award
Photographic Industry Award
Private Hospital Employees' Award
Quarry Workers' Award
Radio and Television Employees' Award
Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers' Award
Retail Pharmacists’ Award
The Rock Lobster and Prawn Processing Award
School Employees (Independent Day & Boarding Schools) Award
Security Officers' Award
Sheet Metal Workers' Award
The Shop and Warehouse (Wholesale and Retail Establishments) State Award
Social and Community Services (Western Australia) Interim Award
Teachers' Aides' (Independent Schools) Award
Timber Yard Workers Award
Transport Workers (General) Award
Transport Workers (Mobile Food Vendors) Award
Transport Workers' (North West Passenger Vehicles) Award
Transport Workers' (Passenger Vehicles) Award
Western Australian Surveying (Private Practice) Industry Award
Amount of location allowance - by town as at 1 July 2024
Show moreIf an employee has a dependant (a spouse or partner, or a child if they do not have a spouse or partner) who does not get a location allowance the employee must receive double the relevant location allowance.
If an employee has a ‘partial dependant’ (a dependant who gets a district or location allowance which is less than the location allowance the employee gets) the employee must be paid their relevant location allowance rate plus the difference between the employee’s location allowance and what the partial dependant is receiving in district or location allowance.
If an employee receives free meals and accommodation, or is paid an allowance for meals and accommodation, the employee is only entitled to receive 66.67% of amount for the relevant town.
| Table of location allowance by town | |
|---|---|
| Town | Location allowance per week from 1 July 2024 |
| Agnew | $25.30 |
| Argyle | $68.50 |
| Balladonia | $26.60 |
| Barrow Island | $44.60 |
| Boulder | $10.90 |
| Broome | $41.00 |
| Bullfinch | $11.80 |
| Carnarvon | $21.00 |
| Cockatoo Island | $44.80 |
| Coolgardie | $10.90 |
| Cue | $26.20 |
| Dampier | $35.70 |
| Denham | $21.00 |
| Derby | $42.50 |
| Esperance | $7.20 |
| Eucla | $28.50 |
| Exmouth | $37.60 |
| Fitzroy Crossing | $51.80 |
| Halls Creek | $60.10 |
| Kalbarri | $9.20 |
| Kalgoorlie | $10.90 |
| Kambalda | $10.90 |
| Karratha | $43.10 |
| Koolan Island | $44.80 |
| Koolyanobbing | $11.80 |
| Kununurra | $68.50 |
| Laverton | $26.10 |
| Learmonth | $37.60 |
| Leinster | $25.30 |
| Leonora | $26.10 |
| Madura | $27.60 |
| Marble Bar | $66.70 |
| Meekatharra | $22.60 |
| Mount Magnet | $28.40 |
| Mundrabilla | $28.10 |
| Newman | $24.40 |
| Norseman | $22.70 |
| Nullagine | $66.60 |
| Onslow | $44.60 |
| Pannawonica | $33.20 |
| Paraburdoo | $33.10 |
| Port Hedland | $35.60 |
| Ravensthorpe | $13.30 |
| Roebourne | $49.70 |
| Sandstone | $25.30 |
| Shark Bay | $21.00 |
| Southern Cross | $11.80 |
| Telfer | $61.10 |
| Teutonic Bore | $25.30 |
| Tom Price | $33.10 |
| Whim Creek | $42.60 |
| Wickham | $41.10 |
| Wiluna | $25.60 |
| Wyndham | $64.00 |
Previous year's location allowance
Show moreThe location allowance rates in this section applied from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 and are provided for historical reference purposes.
| Table of location allowance by town | |
|---|---|
| Town | Location allowance per week from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. |
| Agnew | $24.70 |
| Argyle | $66.60 |
| Balladonia | $25.80 |
| Barrow Island | $43.40 |
| Boulder | $10.60 |
| Broome | $39.90 |
| Bullfinch | $11.50 |
| Carnarvon | $20.50 |
| Cockatoo Island | $43.70 |
| Coolgardie | $10.60 |
| Cue | $25.50 |
| Dampier | $34.80 |
| Denham | $20.50 |
| Derby | $41.40 |
| Esperance | $7.10 |
| Eucla | $27.80 |
| Exmouth | $36.60 |
| Fitzroy Crossing | $50.40 |
| Halls Creek | $58.40 |
| Kalbarri | $9.00 |
| Kalgoorlie | $10.60 |
| Kambalda | $10.60 |
| Karratha | $41.90 |
| Koolan Island | $43.70 |
| Koolyanobbing | $11.50 |
| Kununurra | $66.60 |
| Laverton | $25.40 |
| Learmonth | $36.60 |
| Leinster | $24.70 |
| Leonora | $25.40 |
| Madura | $26.80 |
| Marble Bar | $64.80 |
| Meekatharra | $22.00 |
| Mount Magnet | $27.60 |
| Mundrabilla | $27.30 |
| Newman | $23.80 |
| Norseman | $22.10 |
| Nullagine | $64.70 |
| Onslow | $43.40 |
| Pannawonica | $32.30 |
| Paraburdoo | $32.20 |
| Port Hedland | $34.60 |
| Ravensthorpe | $13.00 |
| Roebourne | $48.30 |
| Sandstone | $24.70 |
| Shark Bay | $20.50 |
| Southern Cross | $11.50 |
| Telfer | $59.40 |
| Teutonic Bore | $24.70 |
| Tom Price | $32.20 |
| Whim Creek | $41.50 |
| Wickham | $40.00 |
| Wiluna | $25.00 |
| Wyndham | $62.30 |
