Pastoral Award 2025 Pay Rates (MA000035)

Plain-English Summary

Who does this award cover?

The Pastoral Award covers employees working on farms, pastoral properties, piggeries, poultry farms, and related agricultural operations across Australia. If you work as a farm hand, livestock handler, station cook, piggery attendant, or poultry farm worker, this award applies to you. It covers roughly 80,000 workers in rural and regional Australia.

This award does NOT cover employees in horticulture (fruit picking, nurseries, market gardens) -- those fall under the Horticulture Award (MA000028). It also does not cover employees in the cotton ginning industry (MA000024) or sugar industry (MA000087). Station hands who primarily perform domestic duties may be covered by a different instrument. See clause 4 for full coverage rules.

How classification works

The award has three main classification streams: Farm and Livestock Hand (FLH), Piggery Attendant (PA), and Poultry Farm Worker (PW). Within each stream, employees are classified into numbered levels based on skills and responsibilities. FLH1 is an entry-level farm hand; higher levels reflect greater autonomy, machinery operation skills, and supervisory duties. Station cooks have a separate classification based on the FLH rate. Your employer must classify you at the level matching your actual duties.

Remote work considerations

Pastoral work often involves remote locations. The award includes provisions for accommodation and meals where provided by the employer, and overtime rules that account for the unpredictable nature of farm work -- including specific provisions for Sunday overtime related to feeding and watering stock, which is paid at a different rate from other Sunday overtime.

Classification Levels and Base Rates

All rates effective 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2024-25.

Hourly rate = weekly rate / 38. Casual rate = hourly rate x 1.25 (clause 11.1). Casual rates shown are for adult employees.

Penalty Rates

All penalties are calculated on the base hourly rate (clause 20 and clause 24).

Full-Time and Part-Time Employees

Piggery Shiftworker Penalties

Casual Employees

Casual penalty rates include the 25% casual loading. The loading is built into the multiplier.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the ordinary hours for pastoral workers?

Ordinary hours are a maximum of 38 per week or an average of 38 per week over a roster cycle of up to 4 weeks (clause 13.1). The spread of ordinary hours is 6:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday for most pastoral workers. However, the nature of farm work means that hours can vary significantly. Your employer should set out your ordinary hours in writing, and any work outside those hours is overtime.

2. Is Sunday overtime for feeding stock really paid differently?

Yes. This is unusual among awards. Sunday overtime for feeding or watering stock is paid at 150% of the base rate, while all other Sunday overtime is paid at 200% (clause 24.2). This recognises that stock care is essential and cannot be deferred. If your employer asks you to do Sunday overtime that includes both stock care and other tasks, each component should be calculated at its applicable rate.

3. What happens if my employer provides accommodation?

If your employer provides accommodation as part of your employment, they can deduct a set amount from your pay in accordance with the award (clause 18). The deduction amounts are specified in the award and vary based on the type of accommodation. Your employer cannot charge you more than the award amount, and the accommodation must meet minimum standards. You can also choose to decline employer-provided accommodation.

4. Do junior employees get a lower rate?

Yes. Employees under 21 years of age receive a percentage of the adult rate based on their age: under 16 years (50%), 17 years (60%), 18 years (70%), 19 years (80%), 20 years (90%). At age 21, you move to the full adult rate. A 17-year-old FLH1 would earn $14.57/hr (60% of $24.28). Junior rates do not apply to employees who hold a relevant trade certificate or qualification.

5. What is the minimum engagement for casual farm workers?

Casual farm and livestock hand employees must be engaged and paid for a minimum of 4 hours per engagement (clause 11.3). At FLH1 casual rate ($30.35/hr), the minimum payment for any casual engagement is $121.40 gross. This is longer than many other awards and reflects the travel time often involved in getting to remote farm locations.

Check Your Rate

Working on a farm, station, piggery, or poultry operation? Use our free calculator to check your exact rate based on your classification, employment type, and hours worked.

Check your pay rate now

Select your classification stream (farm hand, piggery attendant, or poultry worker), enter your level and employment type, and get a breakdown of your exact pay -- including the special Sunday stock care overtime rate that is unique to this award.

Schema Markup Suggestions

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Table Schema (Dataset)

• name: "Pastoral Award MA000035 Pay Rates July 2025"
• description: "Classification levels and hourly pay rates for farm hands, piggery attendants, and poultry workers under the Pastoral Award"
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• creator: Fair Work Commission
• license: CC BY 4.0

Breadcrumb Schema

Home > Awards > Pastoral Award (MA000035)

Rates current as of 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission, CC BY 4.0. This information is general in nature and is not legal advice. Always verify rates against the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) at calculate.fairwork.gov.au.