Bulletin 18 - Revised offer for new Enterprise Agreement - issued 3 June 2026

In Bulletin 16, I advised of the productive negotiations with the United Workers Union (UWU) before the Fair Work Commission which resulted in a Recommendation by Commissioner Riordan for a revised Correctional Officer Enterprise Agreement.

I believe that the offer the Fair Work Commission has recommended is fair and reasonable and contains significant improvements to the offer last taken to vote (March 2026). The Recommendation also acknowledged the significant work the parties have undertaken since the last ballot in March 2026 to resolve the new operating models and address approved staffing levels in the Correctional Centres.

Today I have advised the UWU that I have accepted the Fair Work Commission’s Recommendation in full and put a revised ‘without prejudice’ offer to them for a new Correctional Officer Enterprise Agreement. The full details of that offer are set out below.

To ensure employees can access the new terms, conditions of employment, and allowances as soon as possible, I believe it is now time to provide employees with the opportunity to have their say on the revised Agreement, and I encourage you to look at the terms of this offer carefully and to vote to support the new proposed agreement.

Offer details and back pay commitment

1. Term of Agreement

   It is proposed the new agreement (the Agreement) will have a 4 year term which will provide employees with secure terms and conditions over this period.

2. Salary and allowance increases
   Providing this offer is accepted, the salary increases will apply as follows:
   • 3% first increase backdated to 23 April 2026
   • 3% from first pay period commencing on or after 2 December 2026
   • 3.5% from first pay period commencing on or after 2 December 2027
   • 3.5% or CPI, whichever is the greater, from first pay period commencing on or after 2 December 2028

   This provides a minimum total salary increase of 13% over the term of the Agreement.

   Payment of the salary and allowance increases, including any back payment, will be payable to all employees who are employed on the date of commencement of the new Agreement.

3. Continue to increase allowances by Consumer Price Index (CPI)

   Continue CPI indexation of existing allowances in Determination Number 1 of each year that are adjusted by the September to September Darwin CPI. The allowances will not reduce if the Darwin CPI is negative.

4. Enhancement to Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) provisions

   Enhance the TOIL provisions by extending the period of time to utilise time off in lieu from 8 months to 12 months for all employees. Previously this applied only to employees in Alice Springs.

   Increase the maximum amount of time off in lieu that employees may accrue from 80 hours to 120 hours.

5. Expanded access and increase to wellness allowance on completion of core training

   Enhance the wellness allowance so it can be used to purchase fitness related equipment in addition to registration/membership costs or other wellness activities.

   Employees who have completed their mandatory core training to be entitled to claim up to $1,000 each calendar year, increasing from $500 in Darwin and Nhulunbuy and from $750 in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.

   If mandatory core training is not delivered by the agency employees will still be entitled to seek reimbursement to the full entitlement.

6. Increased attraction and retention allowance – Alice Springs

   Increase the attraction and retention allowance for Alice Springs to $8,000 per annum for employees who hold a Certificate III in Correctional Practice after completion of 3 years of service in Alice Springs, and $5,000 per annum for all employees in their first 3 years of service.

7. New fitness capability allowance

   Introduction of a new fitness capability allowance of $1,000 per annum to be paid to identified specialised roles (IAT, Dog Squad) following successful completion of annual specialist capability recertification training.

8. Enshrine Long Service leave (PSEM By-law 8) entitlements in the Agreement

   Long service leave provisions contained in By-Law 8 will be enshrined in the new Agreement.

9. Improved personal leave to cover medical attendance and preventative health matters

   Improved personal leave provisions to allow employees to provide certificates of attendance for medical appointments (which will count as personal leave with documentary evidence), including for health issues other than just for an illness or injury.

10. Improvement to compassionate leave provisions

    Provisions updated to enable employees to utilise paid compassionate leave during periods of approved recreational and personal leave. These enhancements offer increased flexibility and support for employees during difficult circumstances.

11. Improved blood plasma donor leave

    Improved blood donor leave to cover time for donating of blood plasma.

12. New organ donor leave

    Include a provision that will allow the CEO to approve a recredit of leave for employees to donate a kidney or part of a liver, up to an equivalent amount that their agency receives as payment from the Australian Government under the Supporting a Living Donor Program.

13. Improved leave to engage in voluntary emergency management activities

    Improve Voluntary Emergency Management Activities leave to extend leave to include prevention, preparation, response or recovery purposes.

14. Improved Employee Assistance Program provisions

    Provisions updated to clarify that employees accessing approved Providers will be granted reasonable travel and attendance time without deduction from any leave entitlements.

15. Enshrined work camp special allowance

    Enshrine the Work Camp Special Allowance provisions currently contained in Determination 1016 of 2024 in the new Agreement, with a trade qualification also able to be recognised.

16. Strengthened safe and healthy work environment provisions

    Consistent with the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011, improved measures will be included for the CEO to:

    • take reasonable and practicable steps to prevent and address psychosocial risks in the workplace; and
    • support the establishment of committees and/or workgroups including health and safety representatives.
17. Enshrine new right to disconnect provision to improve work life balance

    Include employee right to disconnect provisions in the Agreement to assist in maintaining work life balance opportunities and breaks from work contact.

18. New provision to support disability and diversity in the workplace

    A new clause will recognise a commitment to support and accommodate a diverse and inclusive workplace which values the identities, skills and capabilities of all people including those with a disability, from culturally and linguistically diverse background.

19. Updated union rights and workplace delegate rights

    Updated clause to reflect Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) compliance and a new timeframe for the employer to provide notice of approval from when the union training is scheduled to commence.

20. Updated Fair Work Act compliance provisions

    Update the Management of Change and Individual Flexibility Arrangement clauses to reflect recent changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).

21. Workers compensation

    In response to UWU feedback, withdrawal of the employer’s original proposal to include a provision that where an employee has been absent from work and in receipt of workers’ compensation benefits under the Return to Work Act 1986 for a continuous period exceeding 26 weeks, all recreation leave accrued during each 26 week period will be cashed out, where, at the commencement of that 26 week period, the employee’s recreation leave balance was greater than that employee’s 2 year recreation leave entitlement (i.e where the employee already had excess leave balances).

22. 3 month cyclic roster / Recreation leave

    During negotiations, the parties agreed these matters would be best dealt with outside the enterprise agreement. Discussions with the UWU representatives on these matters have been ongoing and very productive, and agreement is expected to be reached shortly. As a result of these discussions, the Department agreed to:

    • Improve the management of planned leave
    • Strengthen the response to management of consistent and unreasonable planned leave absences
    • Implement a new roster that encompasses a 3 month cycle, as soon as practicable in 2026
    • Improve roster administration, including developing clear roster management principles and guidance.
23. Enhancements to dispute resolution processes for operating models

    Throughout bargaining, the UWU has made sustained representations about officer safety and staffing as a principal concern.

    To address this issue, the parties have undertaken significant work and negotiations to reach in-principle agreement on revised Operating Models for the Correctional Centres. Additional commitments have been made to ensure the Department, and General Managers, will continue to ensure safe operating environments. The employer believes this resolves the matters regarding safety and staffing numbers.

    The proposed changes to the current Operating Model clause include an improved dispute resolution processes that will deliver better and more timely outcomes to resolve disputes that may arise in the implementation of the Operating Models. This maintains a status quo obligation that means protection from changes until a process to consider the concerns has been undertaken.

    The employer believes this is a positive improvement for both parties over the current provisions, and Fair Work Commissioner Riordan supports that view, stating in his Recommendation that to not include the new provisions would be a “retrograde step from the negotiated position as long as the status quo is maintained in relation to these new abbreviated processes”.

24. Inclusion of core training provisions into the Agreement

    Agreement to the Union claim to introduce a Core Training clause to acknowledge the importance of mandatory training for the health, wellbeing and capability of the Correctional Officer workforce.

25. Review of work camp roles

    Agreement to the Union claim to introduce a clause in the Agreement to examine the difference in duties and responsibilities for Correctional Officers based in a work camp. This assessment will include but not be limited to, rostering, staff travel, staff development, amenities and allowances. The review will be completed over the life of the Agreement.

26. Casual employment

    The note regarding causal employment will be reinstated as follows:

    It is noted that NTCS do not employ casual correctional officers.

27. Commitment to implement performance management systems

    The parties commit to working collaboratively to implement an employee management and development procedure consistent with the Public Sector Employment and Management Act and this Enterprise Agreement.

Next steps

On 4 June 2026, you will be sent information regarding the proposed Correctional Officer (NTPS) 2025-2029 Enterprise Agreement, including a link to the proposed agreement and an explanatory document highlighting the changes compared to your current agreement.

Hard copies of these documents will also be available throughout your workplace. This will provide you the opportunity to understand the offer and see what changes are proposed.

The ballot process will be conducted by Vero Engagement and Voting Solutions PTY LTD (Vero), and you will be sent an email by Vero on 15 June 2026 which will provide your unique login credentials and details about how to cast your confidential vote.

Ballot timeline

The ballot timeline is as follows:

The ballot count will be conducted at the Vero Voting office (5/100 Railway Road, Subiaco WA 6008). I will advise employees of the ballot result via a Bulletin and a notice on the enterprise bargaining webpage.

More information

Regular updates in relation to the bargaining process will be posted to the OCPE webpage at Correctional Officer (NTPS) Enterprise Agreement page.

Information on bargaining in general can be obtained on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

See link for information on Northern Territory Public Sector 2025-2028 Wages Policy PDF (133.0 KB).

Yours sincerely,

Nicole Hurwood
Commissioner for Public Employment
3 June 2026