2. Definitions

[Varied by PR733892, PR774786, PR777307, PR795698]

In this award, unless the contrary intention appears:

Act means the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).

adult employee means an employee 18 years of age and over.

afternoon shift means a shift of ordinary hours finishing at or after 5.00 pm or, where the ordinary hours are extended by agreement, 6.00 pm and at or before midnight.

all purposes means the payment will be included in the rate of pay of an employee who is entitled to the allowance, when calculating any penalties or loadings or payment while they are on annual leave (see clause 17.2(a)).

[Definition of casual employee inserted by PR733892 from 27Sep21; varied by PR777307 from 27Aug24]

casual employee has the meaning given by section 15A of the Act.

NOTE: Section 15A of the Act was amended with effect from 26 August 2024. Under clause 102(3) of Schedule 1 to the Act, an existing employee who was a casual employee of an employer under section 15A as it was immediately before that date is taken to be a casual employee of the employer for the purposes of section 15A after that date.

defined benefit member has the meaning given by the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 (Cth).

early morning shift means a shift of ordinary hours commencing at or after 2.00 am and before 4.00 am.

employee means national system employee within the meaning of the Act.

[Definition of employee organisation inserted by PR774786; substituted retrospectively by PR795698 ppc 01Jul24]

employee organisation has the meaning given by section 12 of the Act.

employer means national system employer within the meaning of the Act.

[Definition of enterprise inserted by PR774786 from 01Jul24]

enterprise has the meaning given by section 12 of the Act.

exempt public sector superannuation scheme has the meaning given by the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth).

leading hand means an employee who is given by the employer, or their agent, the responsibility for directing and/or supervising the work of other persons.

MySuper product has the meaning given by the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth).

NES means the National Employment Standards as contained in sections 59 to 131 of the Act.

night shift means a shift finishing after midnight and at or before 8.00 am.

on-hire means the on-hire of an employee by their employer to a client, where such employee works under the general guidance and instruction of the client or a representative of the client.

ordinary hourly rate means the hourly rate for the employee’s classification specified in clause 15—Minimum rates, plus any allowances specified as being included in the employee’s ordinary hourly rate or payable for all purposes.

permanent night shift employee is an employee who:

(a) works night shift only; or

(b) stays on night shift for a longer period than 4 consecutive weeks; or

(c) works on a night shift which does not rotate or alternate with another shift or with day work so as to give the employee at least one third of their working time off night shift in each shift cycle.

poultry processing industry has the meaning given in clause 4.2.

[Definition of small business employer inserted by PR774786 from 01Jul24]

small business employer has the meaning given by section 23 of the Act.

standard rate means the minimum hourly rate for the Level 2 classification in clause 15.1.

[Definition of workplace delegate inserted by PR774786 from 01Jul24]

workplace delegate has the meaning given by section 350C(1) of the Act.

15. Minimum rates

[Varied by PR720159, PR718892, PR729333, PR740758, PR762183, PR767896, PR773961, PR786612, PR799354]

[15.1 varied by PR718892, PR729333, PR740758, PR762183, PR773961, PR786612, PR799354 ppc 01Jul26]

15.1 An employer must pay adult employees the following minimum rates for ordinary hours worked by the employee:

Employee classification | Minimum weekly rate (full-time employee) | Minimum hourly rate

| $ | $

Level 1 | 997.40 | 26.25

Level 2 | 1024.10 | 26.95

Level 3 | 1037.70 | 27.31

Level 4 | 1051.20 | 27.66

Level 5 | 1064.30 | 28.01

Level 6 | 1091.70 | 28.73

NOTE: See Schedule B—Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay for a summary of hourly rates of pay including overtime and penalty rates.

15.2 For the purposes of clause 15.1, any entitlement to a minimum rate expressed to be by the week means any entitlement which an employee would receive for performing 38 hours of work.

15.3 The following employees are not entitled to the minimum rates set out in the table in clause 15.1:

(a) a trainee:

[15.3(a)(i) varied by PR720159 ppc 18Jun20]

(i) Schedule E to the Miscellaneous Award 2020 sets out minimum wage rates and conditions for employees undertaking traineeships.

[15.3(a)(ii) varied by PR720159 ppc 18Jun20, PR718892, PR729333, PR740758, PR762183, PR773961, PR786612, PR799354 ppc 01Jul26]

(ii) This award incorporates the terms of Schedule E to the Miscellaneous Award 2020 as at 1 July 2026. Provided that any reference to “this award” in Schedule E to the Miscellaneous Award 2020 is to be read as referring to the Poultry Processing Award 2020 and not the Miscellaneous Award 2020; and

(b) an unapprenticed junior (see clause 15.4); and

(c) an employee receiving a supported wage (see Schedule D—Supported Wage System).

15.4 Unapprenticed junior minimum rates

[15.4 varied by PR767896 ppc 31Dec23]

Junior employees will be entitled to the percentage of the applicable adult weekly rate for their classification as follows:

Age | %

Under 17 years of age | 70

17 years of age | 80

18 years of age and over | 100

15.5 Higher duties

(a) An employee required by the employer to perform the duties of a position carrying a higher minimum rate than the employee’s ordinary classification for more than 4 hours during one day, must be paid the higher minimum rate for that day.

(b) An employee required by the employer to perform the duties of a position carrying a higher minimum rate than the employee’s ordinary classification for 4 hours or less during one day, must be paid the higher rate for the actual time worked at that higher level.

17. Allowances

[Varied by PR718892, PR719045, PR729333, PR729518, PR740758, PR740924, PR762183, PR762350, PR773961, PR774129, PR786612, PR786782, PR799354, PR799510]

NOTE: Regulations 3.33(3) and 3.46(1)(g) of Fair Work Regulations 2009 set out the requirements for pay records and the content of payslips including the requirement to separately identify any allowance paid.

17.1 Employers must pay to an employee the allowances the employee is entitled to under clause 17.

NOTE: See Schedule C—Summary of Monetary Allowances for a summary of monetary allowances and method of adjustment.

17.2 Wage-related allowances

(a) All-purpose allowances

Allowances paid for all purposes are included in the rate of pay of an employee who is entitled to the allowance, when calculating any penalties, loadings or payment while they are on annual leave. The following allowance is paid for all purposes under this award:

(i) Leading hand allowance (clause 17.2(b)).

(b) Leading hand allowance

[17.2(b)(i) varied by PR718892, PR729333, PR740758, PR762183, PR773961, PR786612, PR799354 ppc 01Jul26]

(i) A leading hand in charge of one or more employees must be paid, in addition to the minimum wage for the highest classification supervised, or their own minimum wage, whichever is higher, the following:

In charge of | $ per week

1 to 19 employees | 40.96

20 employees or more | 68.45

(ii) The leading hand allowance applies for all purposes of this award.

(c) Cold work allowance

[17.2(c) varied by PR718892, PR729333, PR740758, PR762183, PR773961, PR786612, PR799354 ppc 01Jul26]

A cold work allowance is payable to an employee working for more than one hour in a place where the temperature is reduced by artificial means as follows:

Temperature | $ per hour or part thereof

From -15.6°C to -18.0°C | 1.00

-18.0°C to -23.3°C | 1.75

Less than -23.3°C | 2.75

(d) First aid allowance

[17.2(d) varied by PR718892, PR729333, PR740758, PR762183, PR773961, PR786612, PR799354 ppc 01Jul26]

A first aid allowance of $22.42 per week is payable to an employee who has been trained to provide first aid and holds an appropriate first aid qualification such as a certificate from St John Ambulance or similar body if appointed by the employer to perform first aid duty.

17.3 Expense-related allowances

(a) Meal allowance

[17.3(a) varied by PR719045, PR729518, PR740924, PR762350, PR774129, PR786782, PR799510 ppc 01Jul26]

A meal allowance of $19.14 is payable to an employee who works at least one and a half hours’ overtime after working ordinary hours, except where a meal is provided by the employer.

(b) Vehicle allowance

[17.3(b) varied by PR729518, PR740924, PR762350, PR774129, PR799510 ppc 01Jul26]

A vehicle allowance of $1.00 per kilometre is payable to an employee who is required to use their own vehicle to travel from one place to another during working time.

17.4 The allowances in clauses 17.2(c) to 17.2(d) and 17.3 are not subject to any premium or penalty additions.

20. Penalty rates

[Varied by PR747390]

20.1 Definitions

For the purposes of this award:

(a) Early morning shift means a shift of ordinary hours commencing at or after 2.00 am and before 4.00 am; and

(b) Afternoon shift means a shift of ordinary hours finishing at or after 5.00 pm or, where the ordinary hours are extended by agreement, 6.00 pm and at or before midnight; and

(c) Night shift means a shift finishing after midnight and at or before 8.00 am; and

(d) Permanent night shift employee is an employee who:

(i) works night shift only; or

(ii) stays on night shift for a longer period than 4 consecutive weeks; or

(iii) works on a night shift which does not rotate or alternate with another shift or with day work so as to give the employee at least one third of their working time off night shift in each shift cycle.

20.2 An employee will be paid the following rates for all ordinary hours worked during the following periods.

Ordinary hours worked on: | % ordinary hourly rate

Monday to Friday—shiftworkers |

Early morning shift | 110

Afternoon shift or night shift | 115

Permanent night shift | 125

Weekend work—all employees (including shiftworkers) |

Saturday | 150

Sunday | 175

Public holiday | 250

NOTE: See Schedule B—Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay for a summary of rates of pay including penalty rates.

20.3 A shiftworker who is required to work on a public holiday must be paid for a minimum of 4 hours.

[New 20.4 inserted by PR747390 ppc 14Nov22]

20.4 Hours of work performed immediately before or after a part-day public holiday, that form part of one continuous shift, are counted as part of the minimum payment/engagement period in clause 20.3.

[20.4 renumbered as 20.5 by PR747390 ppc 14Nov22]

20.5 A shiftworker who is required and works overtime must be paid overtime in accordance with clause 19—Overtime.

Part 6—Leave, Public Holidays

18. Superannuation

[Varied by PR743363, PR771350, PR794768]

18.1 Superannuation legislation

[18.1 substituted by PR771350 ppc 09Apr24]

(a) The NES and Superannuation legislation, including the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 (Cth), the Superannuation Guarantee Charge Act 1992 (Cth), the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) and the Superannuation (Resolution of Complaints) Act 1993 (Cth), deal with the superannuation rights and obligations of employers and employees.

(b) The rights and obligations in clause 18 supplement those in superannuation legislation and the NES.

NOTE: Under superannuation legislation:

(a) Individual employees generally have the opportunity to choose their own superannuation fund.

(b) If a new employee does not choose a superannuation fund, the employer must ask the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) whether the employee is an existing member of a stapled superannuation fund and, if stapled fund details are provided by the ATO, make contributions to the stapled fund.

(c) If an employee does not choose a superannuation fund and does not have a stapled fund, the choice of superannuation fund requirements will be satisfied by contributions made to a superannuation fund nominated in the award covering the employee, provided the fund is able to accept contributions for the benefit of the employee.

(d) A fund may not be able to accept contributions for the benefit of an employee if the employee would be a new member of the fund’s MySuper product and the MySuper product is closed to new members because it has failed the performance tests of Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) for 2 consecutive years.

18.2 Employer contributions

An employer must make such superannuation contributions to a superannuation fund for the benefit of an employee as will avoid the employer being required to pay the superannuation guarantee charge under superannuation legislation with respect to that employee.

18.3 Voluntary employee contributions

(a) Subject to the governing rules of the relevant superannuation fund, an employee may, in writing, authorise their employer to pay on behalf of the employee a specified amount from the post-taxation wages of the employee into the same superannuation fund as the employer makes the superannuation contributions provided for in clause 18.2.

(b) An employee may adjust the amount the employee has authorised their employer to pay from the wages of the employee from the first of the month following the giving of three months’ written notice to their employer.

(c) The employer must pay the amount authorised under clauses 18.3(a) or 18.3(b) no later than 28 days after the end of the month in which the deduction authorised under clauses 18.3(a) or 18.3(b) was made.

18.4 Superannuation fund

[18.4 varied by PR771350; substituted by PR794768 ppc 23Jan26]

Unless, to comply with superannuation legislation, the employer is required to make the superannuation contributions provided for in clause 18.2 to another superannuation fund, the employer must make the superannuation contributions provided for in clause 18.2 and pay any amount authorised under clauses 18.3(a) or 18.3(b) to one of the following superannuation funds or its successor, provided that, in respect of new employees, the fund is able to accept new beneficiaries:

(a) AustralianSuper; or

(b) CareSuper; or

(c) Australian Retirement Trust; or

(d) HOSTPLUS Superannuation Fund; or

(e) any superannuation fund to which the employer was making superannuation contributions for the benefit of its employees before 12 September 2008, provided the superannuation fund is an eligible choice fund and is a fund that offers a MySuper product or is an exempt public sector superannuation scheme; or

(f) a superannuation fund or scheme which the employee is a defined benefit member of.

Part 5—Overtime and Penalty Rates