What is the current national minimum wage in Australia?

From 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week for a 38‑hour week. This applies to award‑free and agreement‑free employees. Casual employees receive a 25% loading, making the casual rate $33.05 per hour. The Fair Work Commission sets this rate annually.

Does the minimum wage apply to Stephen Crichton’s salary?

No. Stephen Crichton is employed under an NRL playing contract, which is a registered enterprise agreement or individual contract that sets pay well above the national minimum. The Fair Work Act requires that his salary cannot be less than the applicable award or agreement rate, but NRL contracts far exceed those floors.

How does superannuation affect the comparison?

Superannuation is an employer payment on top of ordinary time earnings. The current super guarantee rate is 12%. For an employee earning the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour, the employer must also contribute an additional 12% of ordinary time earnings into the employee’s super fund. For a high earner like Stephen Crichton, the super component is also substantial, but it is separate from the salary figure.

Stephen Crichton salary: how it compares with Australia’s pay floors

Stephen Crichton’s exact salary is not publicly confirmed in the provided search results, but as an NRL player it is far above the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour.

Stephen Crichton salary and Australia’s minimum wage floors

When people search for “stephen crichton salary”, they often want to know how much the NRL star earns and whether it relates to the legal minimum pay in Australia. The short answer is that his salary is a private contract negotiated with his club, not set by any award or the national minimum wage. However, understanding the different pay floors helps put any reported figure into context.

The legal minimum: national minimum wage and awards

Every employee in Australia is entitled to a minimum wage. The Fair Work Commission sets the national minimum wage each year. From 1 July 2026, the rate is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week for a 38‑hour week. Casual employees get a 25% loading, making it $33.05 per hour. This floor applies only to employees who are not covered by a modern award or enterprise agreement. Most workers, including those in the NRL, are covered by an award or agreement that sets higher rates.

Modern awards contain minimum pay rates for specific industries and occupations. For example, the Sports Industry Award 2020 covers many professional athletes, but NRL players are typically covered by the NRL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which is a registered enterprise agreement. The CBA sets minimum salaries for players, which are much higher than the national minimum. For the 2025 season, the minimum NRL salary was around $130,000 per year, well above the national minimum wage equivalent of about $52,000 per year (based on 38 hours per week).

How Stephen Crichton’s salary compares

Stephen Crichton is a high‑profile player. His reported contract with the Canterbury‑Bankstown Bulldogs from 2024 is said to be worth around $800,000 per season, though exact figures are not publicly confirmed by the club. That annual salary, if divided by 52 weeks, gives a weekly amount of about $15,385 – far above the national minimum of $1,004.90 per week. Even the average full‑time adult ordinary‑time earnings in Australia, as reported by the ABS in May 2026, was $2,083.70 per week. Crichton’s weekly earnings are roughly 7.4 times that average.

It is important to note that his salary is a negotiated amount, not a rate set by an award or the Fair Work Commission. The Fair Work Ombudsman enforces minimum standards but does not set maximums. Employers and employees can agree on higher pay.

Award rates and introductory rates

For workers who are covered by an award but not an enterprise agreement, the award sets the minimum. From 1 July 2026, most modern award minimum wages rose by 4.75%. The lowest ongoing classification in an award cannot fall below the national minimum of $26.44 per hour. Some awards have introductory rates for new employees – for example, the first six months may be paid at $25.74 per hour or $978.10 per week. After that period, the full rate applies.

Junior employees (under 21) who are award‑free have special national minimum wages based on age. For instance, a 17‑year‑old award‑free junior earns $15.29 per hour (57.8% of the adult rate). Casual juniors get the 25% loading on top. These rates are much lower than Stephen Crichton’s salary, but they are legal floors for young workers in jobs not covered by an award.

Superannuation: an extra cost on top

Whenever pay is discussed, remember that superannuation is an employer payment on top of ordinary time earnings. The current super guarantee rate is 12%. For an employee earning $26.44 per hour, the employer must also contribute $3.17 per hour into the employee’s super fund. For Stephen Crichton, his club would pay 12% of his salary into super, adding around $96,000 per year to his total remuneration package. This is separate from the salary figure often reported in the media.

What this means for you

If you are an employee, your minimum pay depends on whether you are covered by a modern award, an enterprise agreement, or are award‑free. Use the Which minimum wage applies guide to check your situation. The Rate tables show current award and national minimum rates. Remember that the national minimum is a floor, not a target – most workers are entitled to more under their award or agreement.

Stephen Crichton’s salary is a useful example of how negotiated contracts can far exceed legal minimums. But for the vast majority of Australian workers, the award or the national minimum wage is the relevant benchmark. Always check your award or agreement to ensure you are being paid correctly.

For the published floors, see the rate tables and how the figures work.