Australia: checking award coverage for kennel and animal-care work

Key facts

Resource jurisdiction

Australia; national-system animal-care employment where applicable [source]

Read the industry definition before the title

The consolidated Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award covers private veterinary surgery practices and defines its animal-care industry around community-based charities preventing cruelty and promoting animal protection and education. Its name should not be read as covering every commercial activity involving animals. Fair Work’s current summary expressly excludes private boarding kennels, grooming businesses and dog walkers from this award. Checking the definition and exclusions prevents a broad training-course title from becoming an unsupported employment-coverage assumption.

Use the animal-attendant comparison

Fair Work’s animal-attendant resource distinguishes pet boarding, amusement-related settings, veterinary surgeries and charities. It directs pet-boarding animal attendants to the Miscellaneous Award, while other settings can have different resources. Read the relevant award’s own coverage, exclusions and classifications before applying that direction to an actual job. A business performing several services may need a more detailed enquiry than a simple kennel label. A nurse or receptionist also needs assessment of the actual role rather than automatic treatment as an attendant.

Prepare an accurate business description

Record the legal employer and describe whether the work is commercial boarding, clinical support, charity animal care or another activity. Include the normal duties and any mix of grooming, reception or training. A dog business can use this information to ask Fair Work which source to consult; a job seeker can ask the employer to identify the basis used for its proposed conditions. Keep a current position description because the photograph and business trading name may reveal little about coverage.

Separate an exclusion from having no rights

Being outside one named award does not mean a worker has no employment protections or that the employer can choose any conditions. Other awards, agreements and statutory standards may need examination. Use the current instruments for dates, classifications and amounts, with unresolved coverage referred to the responsible authority or an adviser. This guide explains the source distinctions without determining an individual kennel’s award, endorsing a payroll setup or importing national-system rules into a different industrial relations system.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• Fair Work Commission consolidated Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 (opens in a new tab)
• Fair Work Ombudsman — Animal and Veterinary Services Award summary and exclusions (opens in a new tab)
• Fair Work Ombudsman — award coverage for animal attendants (opens in a new tab)

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