Australia: Pastoral Award resources for station employment

Key facts

Resource jurisdiction

Australia; national workplace relations system where applicable [source]

Begin with the coverage provisions

Fair Work’s summary describes the pastoral industry and includes station hands among its examples. The full award is the source for the coverage clause, definitions, exclusions and classification schedules. A farmhand title, rural address or use of stockdogs cannot independently determine coverage. Identify the legal employer, production activities and duties before comparing the job with the award. An enterprise agreement or another applicable framework also needs to be considered rather than assuming one summary settles every employment arrangement.

Read the section relevant to the work

The award separates different pastoral activities and contains detailed classifications and conditions. A worker should describe what happens through the ordinary week, including livestock work, maintenance and any supervisory responsibility. An employer can use that account when checking the appropriate classification. Do not assume a dog-handling duty turns a station role into a separate dog-trainer occupation or that a higher-sounding title establishes a management exemption. The actual role and the applicable provisions need to be read together.

Make keep and dog arrangements inspectable

The full award contains provisions concerning found employees or keep and working-dog allowances. Read their conditions before deciding whether they apply. Record what meals and accommodation are actually provided, and whether the worker is required to provide dogs. An advertisement offering a room or welcoming a pet does not establish the same facts as supplying keep or requiring a working dog. Ask the employer to explain the proposed treatment in writing so it can be compared with the relevant clause.

Use the authority for a concrete enquiry

Take the role description, employer identity, proposed roster and any housing or dog arrangement to Fair Work when an unresolved coverage or payment question remains. Use current award text for dates and amounts instead of copying a historical station advert. This resource guide does not classify an individual job, calculate entitlement or promise that a particular allowance is payable. Its purpose is to show which documents and practical facts make a station-employment enquiry answerable.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

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

• Fair Work Ombudsman — Pastoral Award coverage summary (opens in a new tab)
• Fair Work Commission consolidated Pastoral Award 2020 (opens in a new tab)

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