Significant investment to support regional staff extended for 2026

The Cook Government will invest $7.4 million to further assist regional and remote schools to recruit and retain staff for the 2026 school year.
  • Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive (ARI) extended for 2026
  • Program will support more than 60 schools with recruiting and retaining staff
  • Cook Government's $7.4 million investment reinforces commitment to building education workforce and delivering high-quality education in regional and remote WA

The Cook Government will invest $7.4 million to further assist regional and remote schools to recruit and retain staff for the 2026 school year.

The extension of the Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive (ARI) will support more than 60 regional and remote schools.

Up to $7,000 is available for eligible teachers and school administrators working in designated rural and remote public schools.

Introduced by the Cook Government in 2023, the incentive package was successfully rolled out as a temporary initiative to attract staff. It has grown from supporting teachers and support staff in 48 rural and remote schools to supporting educators and administrators across 60 schools.

This latest investment brings total funding for the Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive to $44.1 million.

The incentive will be paid in two instalments. The first will be paid at the start of the 2026 school year, or on commencement, and the second will be paid to staff remaining at the school at the end of the 2026 school year.

The initiative complements other measures under the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, including district allowances to attract and retain more teachers in remote and regional areas, additional travel concessions for staff in the Pilbara, Kimberley and Goldfields, an air-conditioning subsidy for eligible employees, and salary increases for teachers and school leaders in all Western Australian public schools.

Comments attributed to Education Minister Sabine Winton:

"I am pleased to announce the Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive will continue into 2026, giving regional schools additional support to attract and retain quality teachers as we transition to more sustainable, long-term workforce strategies.

"The Cook Labor Government remains committed to building our workforce and delivering a high-quality education to every young Western Australian, no matter where they live

"As a former regional educator, I know how rewarding teaching in regional WA can be.

"Extending this initiative builds on our commitment to support our regional teaching workforce, who do an incredible job helping our students learn and thrive."