Pastoral Award 2020 — FWC Award text hosted by the Fair Work Ombudsman

FWC · MA000035 · Clause 11

11. Casual employees

[Varied by PR723940, PR734194, PR777262]

[11.1 deleted by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

[11.2 deleted by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

[11.3 renumbered as 11.1 by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

11.1 An employer when engaging a casual must inform the employee that they are employed as a casual, stating:

(a) by whom the employee is employed;

[11.1(b) deleted by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

[11.1(c) renumbered as 11.1(b) by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

(b) their classification level; and

[11.1(d) renumbered as 11.1(c) by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

(c) their rate of pay.

11.2 Casual pieceworkers

[11.4 renumbered as 11.2 by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

(a) Shearers, Crutchers and Woolpressers engaged as casual pieceworkers will be paid piecework rates in accordance with Part 9—Shearing Operations.

(b) For the purpose of the NES, the base rate of pay for a pieceworker is the base rate of pay as defined in the NES.

(c) For the purpose of the NES, the full rate of pay for a pieceworker is the full rate of pay as defined in the NES.

11.3 Casual loading

[11.5 renumbered as 11.3 by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

[11.3(a) varied by PR723940 ppc 20Nov20]

(a) For each ordinary hour worked a casual employee, other than a casual pieceworker, must be paid:

(i) the ordinary hourly rate prescribed for the class of work performed; and

(ii) a loading of 25% of the ordinary hourly rate.

(b) The casual loading is paid instead of annual leave, personal/carer’s leave, notice of termination, redundancy benefits and the other attributes of full-time or part-time employment.

[11.3(c) inserted by PR723940 ppc 20Nov20]

(c) When a casual employee works overtime, they must be paid the overtime rates in clauses 35.2, 43.2, and 49.1(b).

[11.6 renumbered as 11.4 by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

11.4 Casual employees must be paid at the termination of each engagement but may agree to be paid weekly or fortnightly.

11.5 Minimum engagement

[11.7 renumbered as 11.5 by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

(a) Subject to clause 11.5(b), an employer must pay a casual employee, other than a casual pieceworker, for a minimum of 3 hours’ work at the appropriate rate for each occasion on which the employee is required to attend for work, even if the employee is only required to work for a shorter time.

(b) An employer is only required to pay a casual employee for a minimum of 2 hours’ work if all of the following apply:

(i) the employee is engaged to perform the work of a dairy operator; and

(ii) the employee is aged 18 years of age or younger; and

(iii) the employee is a full-time secondary school student.

11.6 Changes to casual employment status

[New 11.6 inserted by PR734194; renamed and substituted by PR777262 from 27Aug24]

A pathway for employees to change from casual employment to full-time or part-time employment is provided for in the NES. See sections 66A to 66MA of the Act.

NOTE: Disputes about changes to casual employment status may be dealt with under sections 66M and 66MA of the Act and/or under clause 28—Dispute resolution.

[11.8 deleted by PR734194 from 27Sep21]

Complete top-level clause extracted from the checked official consolidated text, including the available subordinate paragraphs and tables. Source wording and official numbering retained; whitespace/table layout normalised. AI source-checked for this user-authorised local release; no human professional review.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2026. Fair Work Commission. Consolidated Award text hosted by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Quotations retain source wording; whitespace/table formatting is normalised for display. Personal/non-commercial or internal use only under the FWC copyright notice. Quick Award explanations are separate AI source-checked text; no government endorsement.

Official document

Pastoral Award 2020 — FWC Award text hosted by the Fair Work Ombudsman ↗

Version

This Fair Work Commission consolidated modern award incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 July 2026 (PR799280, PR799316 and PR799473). ↗

Citation verified

25 Oct 2026

Operative note

Based on the current consolidated Award text incorporating amendments up to and including 1 July 2026. That consolidation date is not the commencement date of every provision; check the relevant variation and operative conditions when assessing an earlier period.