Location allowance for employees in regional areas

This page is for: 
EmployerEmployee / worker

wa_image_small.jpg This information is only relevant to employers and employees in the WA state industrial relations system.

Many WA awards require employers to pay an employee employed in certain regional towns a location allowance to compensate for the additional cost of living, climatic discomfort, and isolation in these towns. The WA awards which require location allowance to be paid are listed at the end of this page.

The dollar amount of the location allowance varies by town. The towns where location allowance must be paid and dollar amounts for each town are listed at the end of this page.

Junior employees, casual employees, part time employees, apprentices and trainees must be paid proportionate location allowance based on the proportion which their weekly wage is to the adult rate under the relevant WA award.

Location allowance is paid when an employee is on annual leave. If an employee goes on long service leave (or any other approved leave with pay, other than annual leave), location allowance must be paid for any time they remain in the town in which they are employed.

If an employee has a dependant spouse or de facto partner (or child if there is no spouse or defacto partner) the employee is entitled to receive double the allowance specified for the relevant town except if the dependant also receives a location or district allowance payment as part of his or her own employment. In this situation only an additional amount equal to any difference between what the dependant receives and the location allowance for that town must be paid to the employee.

If an employee has a ‘partial dependant’ (a dependant who receives a district or location allowance of their own which is less than the location allowance the employee is entitled to under this award) the employee is entitled to receive:

  • the relevant location allowance for the employee’s town; plus
  • an amount equal to the difference between the employee’s location allowance and the amount their partial dependant receives in district or location allowance.

If an employee receives free board and lodging, or is paid an allowance for board and lodging, the rate of location allowance is adjusted to 66.66 per cent of the full entitlement for the relevant town.

Location allowance is adjusted each year through the Location Allowance General Order, which is effective from the first pay period on or after 1 July. 

Contact Wageline if you have questions about location allowance.

WA awards containing location allowance requirements as at 1 July 2023

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

Breadcarters (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 2023

Table of location allowance by town

Town

Location allowance per week from 1 July 2023

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

 

For the previous year's rates, visit the Previous year location allowance rates page.

Record keeping

All state system employers are legally required to keep employment records that detail time worked, leave taken and pay received by employees. Learn more on the Employment records - Employer obligations page.

 

Last modified: