Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations (Amendment)

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Statutory Rules 1980 No. 3491

Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations2 (Amendments)

I, THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEFENCE, hereby make the following Interim Determination under section 12 of the Defence Amendment Act 1979.

Dated 28 November 1980.

D. J. KILLEN

Minister of State for Defence

Service allowance

1. Regulation 10 of the Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations is amended by omitting from sub-regulation (1) “$1438” and substituting “$1500”.

Senior chaplains’ allowance

2. Regulation 16 of the Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations is amended by omitting “$642” and substituting “$672”.

Repeal of Schedules 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9

3. Schedules 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 of the Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations are repealed and the following Schedules substituted:

Schedule 1 Regulation 7

OFFICERS WHO HOLD SPECIFIED RANKS OTHER THAN OFFICERS
DESCRIBED IN SCHEDULE 5

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Rear Admiral	Major General	Air Vice Marshal	39,900
Commodore	Brigadier	Air Commodore	34,050

Schedule 2 Regulation 7

OFFICERS OTHER THAN OFFICERS WHO HOLD A RANK SPECIFIED IN SCHEDULE 1 OR ARE OFFICERS DESCRIBED IN SCHEDULE 4, 5, 6 OR 9

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Acting Sub Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Pilot Officer	12,450
Sub Lieutenant —	Lieutenant —	Flying Officer —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	13,150
1 year	1 year	1 year	13,800
2 years	2 years	2 years	14,450
3 years	3 years	3 years	15,100
Lieutenant —	Captain —	Flight Lieutenant —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	15,850
1 year	1 year	1 year	16,600
2 years	2 years	2 years	17,350
3 years	3 years	3years	18,100
4 years	4 years	4 years	18,850
5 years	5 years	5 years	19,600
Lieutenant Commander —	Major —	Squadron Leader —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	20,550
1 year	1 year	1 year	21,450
2 years	2 years	2 years	22,350
3 years	3 years	3 years	23,250
Commander —	Lieutenant Colonel —	Wing Commander —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	24,450
1 year	1 year	1 year	25,650
Captain —	Colonel —	Group Captain —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	26,950
1 year	1 year	1 year	28,250

Schedule 4 Regulation 7

OFFICERS OF THE NAVY, THE ARMY (OTHER THAN THE GRADUATES OF AN OFFICER CADET SCHOOL) AND THE AIR FORCE, BEING OFFICERS WHO, IMMEDIATLEY BEFORE APPOINTMENT AS OFFICERS WITH A RANK SPECIFIED IN THIS SCHEDULE, WERE MEMBERS WHO HELD A RANK SPECIFIED IN PART II OR III OF SCHEDULE 7

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Acting Sub Lieutenant		Pilot Officer	16,200
Sub Lieutenant —	Lieutenant —	Flying Officer —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	17,000
1 year	1 year	1 year	17,350
2 years	2 years	2 years	17,700
3 years	3 years	3 years	18,100
Lieutenant —	Captain —	Flight Lieutenant —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	18,450
1 year	1 year	1 year	18,850
3 years	3 years	3 years	19,250
5 years	5 years	5 years	19,600

SCHEDULE 5 Regulation 7

MEDICAL OFFICERS AND DENTAL OFFICERS

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Officer performing year of compulsory residency (from under-graduate scheme)	Officer performing year of compulsory residency (from under-graduate scheme)	Officer performing year of compulsory residency (from under-graduate scheme)	15,850
Lieutenant —	Captain —	Flight Lieutenant —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	21,166
1 year	1 year	1 year	22,889
2 years	2 years	2 years	23,746
3 years	3 years	3 years	24,606
4 years	4 years	4 years	25,471
5 years	5 years	5 years	26,329
Lieutenant Commander —	Major —	Squadron Leader —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	28,210
1 year	1 year	1 year	29,152
2 years	2 years	2 years	30,093
3 years	3 years	3 years	31,036

SCHEDULE 5—continued

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Commander	Lieutenant Colonel	Wing Commander	34,957
Captain	Colonel	Group Captain	38,619
Commodore	Brigadier	Air Commodore	35,481
Rear Admiral	Major General	Air Vice Marshal	38,281

SCHEDULE 6 Regulation 7

CHAPLAINS

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Chaplain —	Chaplain, 4th Class —	Chaplain —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	15,850
1 year	1 year	1 year	16,600
2 years	2 years	2 years	17,350
3 years	3 years	3 years	18,100
	Chaplain, 3rd Class —
4 years	Under 2 years	4 years	18,850
6 years	2 years	6 years	19,600
8 years	4 years	8 years	20,272
10 years	6 years	10 years	20,944
12 years	8 years	12 years	21,616
14 years	10 years	14 years	22,288
16 years	12 years	16 years	22,960
18 years	14 years	18 years	23,632
20 years	16 years	20 years	24,304
22 years	18 years	22 years	24,976
	Chaplain General	Principal Air Chaplain	25,650

SCHEDULE 7 Regulation 8

MEMBERS OTHER THAN OFFICERS AND MEMBERS UNDERGOING TRAINING IN A CAPACITY REFERRED TO IN SCHEDULE 9

Part I

Ranks			Rates of salary
Column 1 Navy	Column 2 Army	Column 3 Air Force	Pay level 1	Pay level 2	Pay level 3	Pay level 4	Pay level 5	Pay level 6
			$	$	$	$	$	$
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman	9,170	9,760	10,350	10,940	11,530	12,120
Able Seaman	Lance Corporal	Leading Aircraftman	9,400	9,990	10,580	11,170	11,760	12,350
Leading Seaman	Corporal	Corporal	9,770	10,360	10,950	11,540	12,130	12,720

Part II

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Petty Officer —	Sergeant —	Sergeant —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	10,250
1 year	1 year	1 year	10,835
2 years	2 years	2 years	11,420
3 years	3 years	3 years	12,005
4 years	4 years	4 years	12,590
5 years	5 years	5 years	13,175
6 years	6 years	6 years	13,760

Part III

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Navy	Army	Air Force	Rate of salary
			$
Artificer, 1st Class —	Staff Sergeant —	Flight Sergeant —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	13,760
1 year	1 year	1 year	14,345
2 years	2 years	2 years	14,930
Chief Petty Officer —	Warrant Officer, Class 2 —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	3 years	15,515
1 year	1 year	4 years	16,100
Warrant Officer —	Warrant Officer, Class 1 —	Warrant Officer —
Under 1 year	Under 1 year	Under 1 year	16,760
1 year	1 year	1 year	17,410

SCHEDULE 9 Regulation 9

MEMBERS UNDERGOING TRAINING

Item	Training capacities	Rate of salary
		$
1	Normal entry recruits during basic recruit training	7,982
2	Trainees, including sailors in the Navy who hold the rank of Seaman, who have attained the age of 17 years and who have not completed their category training —
	1st year	8,205
	2nd and subsequent years	9,627
3	Junior trainees, being junior musicians, apprentice musicians and other apprentices —
	1st year	4,595
	2nd year	6,017
	3rd year	8,205
	4th year	9,627
4	Sailors in the Navy who hold the rank of Seaman and who have not attained the age of 17 years and junior recruits in the Navy	4,566
5	Royal Military College cadets, air cadets at the Air Force Academy and subordinate officers (that is to say, officers of the Navy who hold the rank of Acting Sub-Lieutenant or a lower rank) who entered the Royal Australian Naval College by way of senior entry —
	1st year	6,594
	2nd year	7,443
	3rd year	8,294
	4th year	9,144
	5th year	9,992
	6th year	10,842
6	Subordinate officers (that is to say, officers of the Navy who hold the rank of Acting Sub-Lieutenant or a lower rank) who entered the Royal Australian Naval College by way of junior entry —
	1st year	5,074
	2nd year	5,833
	3rd year	6,594
	4th year	7,443
	5th year	8,294
	6th year	9,144
	7th year	9,992
	8th year	10,84
7	Members, not being members to whom item 5 or 6 applies, undertaking degree courses —
	with 3 years to graduation	7,443
	with 2 years to graduation	8,294
	in final year	9,144

SCHEDULE 9—continued

Item	Training capacities	Rate of salary
		$
8	Members of the Navy, and air cadets not at the Air Force Academy, undertaking diploma courses —
	1st year	5,833
	2nd year (or matriculation or equivalent entry)	6,594
	3rd year	7,443
	4th year	8,294
9	Officer trainees of the Army and Air Force, not being members referred to in item 5, 6, 7 or 8 —
	If not completed degree course	8,294
	If completed degree course	9,144
10	Officer trainees of the Navy, not being members referred to in item 5, 6, 7 or 8 —
	1st year	8,294
	2nd year	9,144

Application

4. The Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations as amended be this Determination apply in relation to service by members on or after 22 July 1980.

Notes

1. Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 4 December 1980.

2. Statutory Rules 1973 No. 100 as amended to date. For previous amendments see Note 2 to Statutory Rules 1980 No. 1 and see also Statutory Rules 1980 Nos. 1, 4, 9, 20, 23, 34, 42, 43, 55, 73, 132, 142, 148, 155, 174, 216, 217, 229, 249, 274, 302, 314, 333 and 342.

Overview

The Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations 1980, enacted by the Minister of State for Defence under section 12 of the Defence Amendment Act 1979, address the need to update salary provisions for members of the Australian Defence Force, ensuring that remuneration reflects current market conditions and the responsibilities associated with various ranks. This Interim Determination made by the Minister of State for Defence amends several existing salary regulations to adjust the rates for service allowances and various ranks across the Navy, Army, and Air Force, while also repealing and replacing several schedules to better align with the updated salary structure. The policy objective is to provide fair and competitive compensation that recognises the service and expertise of Defence personnel. The Regulations, as amended, apply to services performed by members on or after 22 July 1980, ensuring that all personnel are compensated according to the new rates. This legislative instrument was introduced to address gaps in the existing salary framework, ensuring that the remuneration of Defence Force members is reflective of their duties and the current economic conditions.

Scope and Application

The Interim Determination made under the Defence Amendment Act 1979 applies to the members of the Australian Defence Force who are in service on or after 22 July 1980. It pertains specifically to the salaries of officers and other ranks within the Navy, Army, and Air Force. The regulations govern the salary rates for various ranks and roles, including specified allowances for senior chaplains and service allowances. Notably, the regulations detail salary structures based on the rank, years of service, and specific roles such as chaplains, medical officers, and trainees. The Interim Determination amends the existing Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations by adjusting specific monetary values and repealing certain schedules while introducing new ones that detail updated salary rates. These regulations apply across the Commonwealth of Australia and are enforced by the Minister of State for Defence. There are no specific exclusions or exemptions stated within the text of this Interim Determination, and it does not extend or restrict application through subordinate instruments beyond what is explicitly mentioned.

Key Provisions

The Defence Force (Salaries) Regulations 1980 (Amendments) Interim Determination, made under the Defence Amendment Act 1979, revises the salaries for various ranks within the Australian Defence Force. Specifically, it amends the service allowance from $1438 to $1500 (Regulation 10) and the senior chaplains’ allowance from $642 to $672 (Regulation 16). Furthermore, it repeals and substitutes the existing schedules with updated salary rates for officers based on their rank and years of service. These regulations impose clear obligations on the Defence Force to adhere to the specified salary rates for different ranks and categories of personnel. For instance, officers holding specific ranks such as Rear Admiral, Major General, and Air Vice Marshal are to be paid according to the new rates outlined in Schedule 1. Similarly, officers in various ranks within the Navy, Army, and Air Force, along with their respective years of service, have their salaries detailed in Schedules 2, 4, and 5. Chaplains' salaries are outlined in Schedule 6, and other members' salaries, including those undergoing training, are detailed in Schedule 7 and 9. Failure to comply with these salary regulations can result in various consequences. While the Determination does not explicitly state penalties for non-compliance, breaches of such regulations could potentially lead to disciplinary actions under the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 or other relevant military laws. Additionally, incorrect payment could result in financial discrepancies and legal challenges regarding the fairness and accuracy of remuneration within the Defence Force.

Area of Law: Defence Law
Instrument: Regulation
Concepts: Definitions & Interpretation; Repeal & Amendment; Transitional Provisions; Reporting & Disclosure Obligations

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.

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