Cemetery Industry Award

It covers employers in the cemetery and crematorium industry across Australia and their employees in the listed classifications, including burial grounds, crematoria and memorial parks. It does not cover staff under an enterprise agreement, a modern enterprise award, or a State reference public sector award, or anyone excluded by the Fair Work Act. If you are unsure whether a particular role fits, check the coverage clause on the Fair Work source.

Minimum wages follow a six-level Cemetery Employee classification structure, Class 1 (entry-level) through Class 6 (most senior), with each level defined by the duties and skills in Schedule A of the award. You classify the employee against those descriptions, then apply the matching weekly or hourly minimum. Because rates change annually, always read the current figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than an older table.

Yes. The 2026 Annual Wage Review increased modern award minimum wages by 4.75%, and that increase applies to this award. The new rates take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. To avoid underpayment, update your payroll from the correct pay period and confirm each classification's current rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before you run the first July pay.

Modern award minimum wage increases apply from the first full pay period that starts on or after 1 July. So if your pay week begins on a Monday, you generally keep the old rate until the first full pay period on or after 1 July, then apply the new one. Getting this date wrong is a common payroll error, so always tie the change to the correct pay period, not the calendar date itself.

Casual employees under this award are paid a casual loading, commonly 25%, on top of the ordinary hourly rate in place of paid leave and other entitlements. Casuals are also entitled to a minimum payment each time they are engaged. The loading is calculated on the relevant minimum rate, so confirm both the current casual loading and the minimum engagement on the Fair Work source before processing casual pay.

Not in the usual sense. Ordinary hours under this award are 7.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, so there are no separate weekend ordinary-hours penalties. Work performed on Saturday or Sunday is generally paid as overtime at the applicable overtime rates, which can be higher than a standard weekend loading. Check the overtime provisions and current rates on the Fair Work source to apply the correct figure for weekend work.

Overtime applies to hours worked outside the ordinary span (7.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday) and beyond the standard 38-hour week. The award sets higher rates for the first hours of overtime and a still-higher rate after that, with weekend overtime attracting its own rates and casuals paid at higher overtime rates again. Because the exact percentages vary by day and by employee type, confirm them on the Fair Work source.

Work on a public holiday attracts a substantial penalty rate, and the award also provides a minimum payment for employees who work on the day. Public holiday penalties under modern awards can run up to around 150% or more depending on the award, so do not assume an ordinary or overtime rate applies. Always confirm the exact public holiday rate and the minimum engagement for this award on the Fair Work source.

Yes. This award provides an annual leave loading of 17.5% on the ordinary hourly rate, paid in addition to the National Employment Standards leave entitlement. It applies to the paid annual leave full-time and part-time employees take. Make sure your payroll calculates the 17.5% loading on the correct base rate, and confirm any interaction with shift or other loadings on the Fair Work source.

Alongside common items like an industry allowance, leading hand allowances and a first aid allowance, this award carries sector-specific task payments: exhumation allowances (paid per body, varying with how long the burial has been in place), a lift-and-deepen allowance, and an excavation allowance. There are also expense allowances such as meal and per-kilometre vehicle payments. Confirm every current amount on the Fair Work Pay Calculator, as these change with each review.

Classification is driven by Schedule A, which describes the duties, skill and responsibility at each of the six Cemetery Employee levels. Compare the role's actual day-to-day work to those descriptions rather than relying on a job title, and re-check whenever responsibilities grow. Misclassification is a frequent source of underpayment, so when a role sits between levels, read the Schedule A definitions carefully or seek advice.

Ordinary hours average 38 per week, worked between 7.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday, and can be averaged over a roster cycle. Employees are entitled to unpaid meal breaks and paid rest breaks during the day. Hours outside this span or above the weekly average are treated as overtime. Confirm the precise span, break entitlements and any rostered-day-off arrangements against the current award text on the Fair Work source.

Valont runs award-compliant payroll as part of our outsourced back-office service, so your cemetery or crematorium staff are paid against the correct Class, with the right loadings, overtime, public holiday rates and the sector-specific allowances applied automatically. We track the 1 July increases for you and reconcile each pay run against the current Fair Work rates, which removes most of the manual risk that leads to underpayment claims in this industry.