Pastoral Award.
Pastoral Award 2020. Verified penalty rates, shift loadings, leave loading and RDO arrangements, with a live calculator under the NES.
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| Component | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Accrual rate (FULL-TIME) | 4 wks × 38h ÷ 52 | 2.923 hrs/wk |
| Hours accrued | 2.923 × 52 wks | 152.42 hrs |
| Hourly base rate | - | $35.00 |
| Base leave value | 152.42 × $35.00 | $5,334.62 |
| 17.5% leave loading | base × 0.175 | + $933.56 |
| Total payout | - | $6,268.17 |
Disclaimer: This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. Results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation or your circumstances. This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. We do not recommend taking actions based solely on these results. The calculator makes assumptions and results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation, modern awards, or your personal circumstances. You use this information at your own risk. We can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. For official guidance, visit Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au). Fair Work Ombudsman.
Pastoral Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000035 award text.
Penalty rates by shift type
What each hour is worth as a percentage of the base rate, for permanent and casual employees.
Hourly rate by classification level
8 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
Grey bars fall below the adult national minimum wage. Junior and apprentice classifications are lawfully paid a set percentage of the adult rate under this award.
- FLH1Farm and livestock hand level 1 (station hand, station cook, cattle farm worker grade A or dairy operator grade 1A, under 6 months in the industry)
- FLH2Farm and livestock hand level 2 (the same roles at 6 to 12 months, cattle farm worker grade B, feedlot employee grade 1)
- FLH3Farm and livestock hand level 3 (station hand with 12 months or more, dairy operator grade 1B)
- FLH4Farm and livestock hand level 4 (feedlot employee level 2)
- FLH5Farm and livestock hand level 5 (dairy operator grade 2, senior station hand)
- FLH6Farm and livestock hand level 6 (feedlot employee level 3, Certificate III plus 2 years)
- FLH7Farm and livestock hand level 7 (senior dairy operator grade 1)
- FLH8Farm and livestock hand level 8 (senior dairy operator grade 2)
National Minimum Wage, 4-year trend
Lifted each year by the Annual Wage Review. Up 23.7% since FY2023. Percentages are the movement in the NMW itself, which exceeded the award increase in the years the Commission realigned it to the C13 rate.
Where these numbers come from
- Dollar rates
- FWO Pay Guides and FWC Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000035 on awards.fairwork.gov.au, the official award text.
- Your own figures
- Check your classification in the FWO Pay Calculator.
Penalty rates in full
Every loading in the award, side by side for full-time, part-time and casual employees.
| Hours worked | Full-time / part-time | Casual (incl. loading) |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday | 100% | 125% |
| Sunday | 100% | 125% |
| Public holiday | 200% | 225% |
This award has no weekend penalty on ordinary hours. The 100% above is not a missing figure: ordinary hours under this award do not attract a Saturday or Sunday loading, so weekend work is either paid at the ordinary rate or falls into overtime. Check the overtime clause rather than the penalty table for what a weekend shift is worth.
This award does not pay one set of rates. The table above is the stream covering most employees. These streams differ:
| Stream | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday | Leave loading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piggery attendants, day workers (Part 7, Pig Breeding and Raising) (PA1-PA7) | 150% | 100% | 250% | 17.5% |
| Piggery attendants, shiftworkers (Part 7) (PA1-PA7) | 150% | 200% | 200% | 17.5% |
| Poultry farm workers (Part 8, Poultry Farming) (PW1-PW4) | 100% | 100% | 200% | 17.5% |
- Piggery attendants, day workers (Part 7, Pig Breeding and Raising): Saturday ordinary hours at 150% under clause 44, available only by agreement because ordinary hours for a non-shiftworker are Monday to Friday (clause 38.1(a)). Public holiday 250% with a minimum 3 hours under clause 45.1, the highest public holiday rate in the award. There is no day-worker Sunday ordinary rate: Sunday work is overtime at 200% (clause 43.2).
- Piggery attendants, shiftworkers (Part 7): Clause 44 for Saturday 150% and Sunday 200%, the Sunday rate applying to continuous shifts where the major portion of the rostered shift falls on a Sunday. Clause 44 states these are in substitution for and not cumulative on the clause 42.2 shift loadings. Public holiday 200% with a minimum 3 hours under clause 45.2, lower than the 250% a piggery day worker gets.
- Poultry farm workers (Part 8, Poultry Farming): Clause 49.3. Clause 48 is the entire hours provision and sets only a 152 hour cap over 4 consecutive weeks, with no span of days or hours, so poultry farm workers have no ordinary-hours Saturday or Sunday penalty. Weekend work above the cap is overtime at 150% Monday to Saturday, 150% for feeding and watering stock on a Sunday and 200% for other Sunday work (clause 49.1(b)).
All values are percentages of the base hourly rate. Casual rates shown are inclusive of the 25% casual loading on top of the FT/PT rate. For your own dollar amounts, use the FWO Pay Calculator.
These are the percentages. To turn them into dollars for a specific roster, the penalty rates calculator prices Saturday, Sunday, public holiday and shift hours against this award’s own classification rates.
Pay rates by classification
Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual hourly includes the 25% loading.
| Level | Classification | Weekly rate | Hourly rate | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLH1 | Farm and livestock hand level 1 (station hand, station cook, cattle farm worker grade A or dairy operator grade 1A, under 6 months in the industry) | $978.10 | $25.74 | $32.18 |
| FLH2 | Farm and livestock hand level 2 (the same roles at 6 to 12 months, cattle farm worker grade B, feedlot employee grade 1) | $1,004.90 | $26.44 | $33.05 |
| FLH3 | Farm and livestock hand level 3 (station hand with 12 months or more, dairy operator grade 1B) | $1,006.80 | $26.49 | $33.11 |
| FLH4 | Farm and livestock hand level 4 (feedlot employee level 2) | $1,029.10 | $27.08 | $33.85 |
| FLH5 | Farm and livestock hand level 5 (dairy operator grade 2, senior station hand) | $1,046.90 | $27.55 | $34.44 |
| FLH6 | Farm and livestock hand level 6 (feedlot employee level 3, Certificate III plus 2 years) | $1,062.90 | $27.97 | $34.96 |
| FLH7 | Farm and livestock hand level 7 (senior dairy operator grade 1) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| FLH8 | Farm and livestock hand level 8 (senior dairy operator grade 2) | $1,202.50 | $31.64 | $39.55 |
Rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase. Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual rates include the 25% loading on top of the hourly rate. Source: FWO Pay Guides.
Allowances
Paid on top of the base rate. Amounts effective from 1 July 2026.
| Allowance | Amount | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leading hand allowance | $30.41 - $63.46 | per week | Clause 18.2(b)(i). $30.41 in charge of 2 to 6 employees, $35.43 for 7 to 10, $50.50 for 11 to 20, $63.46 for more than 20. One of only two all-purpose allowances in this award, so it counts towards penalties and annual leave pay. |
| First aid allowance | $3.70 | per day | Clause 18.2(c). The other all-purpose allowance. |
| Use of vehicle allowance | $1.00 | per km | Clause 18.3(c), when instructed to use your own vehicle during working hours to move materials, equipment or people. Two further $1.00 per km allowances cover travel to and from the shearing shed (clause 52.3(b)) and expeditionary work (clause 53.1(a)). |
| Meal allowance | $17.90 | per meal | Clause 18.3(d), for overtime beyond 1.5 hours, or beyond 2 hours without notice. Piggery overtime meals are the same amount under clause 43.7. |
| Deduction where keep is provided | $165.86 | per week | Clause 32.3, broadacre stream only. This is a deduction from wages, not a payment. Overtime and public holiday rates are still worked out on the ordinary hourly rate before the deduction (clause 35.4). |
| Jetting, spraying or swabbing sheep | $4.49 | per day | Clause 33.4, station hands. |
| Own horse or saddle | $9.63 horse, $7.69 saddle | per week | Clause 33.1. The saddle allowance stops where the employer has reimbursed the cost of the saddle (clause 33.2). The dog allowance at clause 33.3 is mutually agreed and carries no dollar figure in the award. |
| Shearing industry allowance | $287.77 | per week | Schedule A.1.1, A.3.1 and A.4, for shearers, shed hands and woolpressers. Shearing cooks get 69.58% of it, $200.23. Rations add $79.78 per week and combs and cutters $121.75. |
| Sleeping quarters not provided | $68.59 | per night | Clause 52.1(b), shearing operations. Travelling to a shed more than 65 km away is $20.36 per day (clause 52.3(a)). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Pastoral Award 2020 (MA000035) and the NES.
Award-specific provisions.
Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.
Standard NES floor of 4 weeks per year of full-time service. Pro-rata for part-time.
You are paid the greater of what you would have earned for those ordinary hours, or your minimum rate plus 17.5%. This award compares total pay, not the loading on its own. Run the numbers in the annual leave loading calculator.
No formal RDO accrual cycle in this award. Time off in lieu of overtime (TOIL) may still be available.
Calculate your leave under this award
The Pastoral Award sets your pay rates, but your paid leave runs on the National Employment Standards. Work out 4 weeks of holidays with the annual leave calculator, and your 10 days of paid sick and carer's leave with the personal leave calculator. To confirm which award applies to you and how it lifts entitlements above the NES floor, read our guide to modern awards.
Who this award covers.
The Pastoral Award (MA000035) is the common name for the Pastoral Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Four public holiday rates sit inside this one award. The 200% shown here is the farm and livestock hand rate (clause 35.5). A piggery attendant on day work gets 250% (clause 45.1), a piggery shiftworker gets 200% (clause 45.2) and a poultry farm worker gets 200% (clause 49.3). Weekend penalties exist in only one of the four Parts. Farm and livestock hands and poultry workers have no ordinary-hours Saturday or Sunday penalty, so weekend work is paid at the ordinary rate unless it exceeds the 152 hours in 4 weeks cap and becomes overtime. Shiftwork exists only in the piggery Part (clauses 38 to 42): successive afternoon or night shifts 115%, non-successive 150% for 3 hours then 200%, permanent night 130%. The ladder below is the farm and livestock hand stream. Piggery attendants run PA1 $978.10 to PA7 $1,154.30, poultry workers PW1 $978.10 to PW4 $1,119.10, and shearing (Part 9) is piecework. Every stream starts at $978.10, below the National Minimum Wage. That entry rate is capped at 3 months (PA1) or 6 months (FLH1 and PW1) before reclassification. There is no RDO clause and no award definition of a shiftworker for the fifth week of annual leave.
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Farm and livestock hand levels 1 to 8 (FLH1-FLH8)
- 02Piggery attendant levels 1 to 7 (PA1-PA7)
- 03Poultry farm worker levels 1 to 4 (PW1-PW4)
- 04Shearer
- 05Crutcher
- 06Shed hand
- 07Woolpresser
- 08Woolclasser
- 09Shearing shed expert
- 10Shearing cook
- 11Station cook
Pastoral Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000035. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Pastoral Award cover?
Are there Saturday penalty rates under the Pastoral Award?
Are there Sunday penalty rates under the Pastoral Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Pastoral Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Pastoral Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Pastoral Award?
What is the casual loading under the Pastoral Award?
Does the Pastoral Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Pastoral Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Pastoral Award 2020 (MA000035) on the Fair Work Commission's awards.fairwork.gov.au.
For up-to-date pay rates by classification, refer to the FWO Pay Calculator. Modern awards are reviewed and varied periodically by the Fair Work Commission; check the source for the latest text.