Coal Export Terminals Award

It covers employers operating a coal export terminal, a facility that receives and stockpiles coal and loads it onto vessels for export, and their employees in the award's classifications. That includes operations and services and maintenance trades employees, apprentices, and on-hire or group training workers placed at the terminal. It excludes employers under the Port Authorities Award and those covered by an enterprise or state public sector award. Confirm coverage on the Fair Work source if a role sits near the boundary.

A coal export terminal is a facility whose function is to receive and stockpile coal and load it onto vessels for export, without significant other cargo or general port activities. This is what distinguishes MA000045 from awards such as the Port Authorities Award. If your site handles mixed cargo or broader port operations, a different award may apply, so check the coverage clause against the Fair Work source before assuming this award covers your operation.

They cover different parts of the coal supply chain. The Black Coal Mining Industry Award covers work directly connected with operating a black coal mine, while MA000045 covers the separate terminal facilities that stockpile and load coal for export. The black coal award expressly excludes coal export terminals. If you operate both mining and terminal activities, each may fall under a different award, so confirm which applies on the Fair Work source.

Minimum rates are set by classification under Schedule A, across an operations and services stream and a maintenance trades stream (the latter including a dual trade level), plus apprentice rates. Each classification has its own published minimum hourly and weekly rate, with full-time work based on an average of 35 ordinary hours a week. Take the current rate for any classification from the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than a remembered figure.

Casual employees are commonly paid a loading of 25% on top of the minimum hourly rate, in lieu of entitlements such as annual leave and paid personal/carer's leave. As with all awards, the loading and any minimum engagement conditions can change over time, so confirm the current figure and the casual rules against the Fair Work source before setting a casual employee's pay.

Shift workers attract additional loadings on top of their ordinary rate, with separate rates for afternoon shift, night shift and permanent night shift, and these sit alongside weekend, overtime and public holiday rates. On a continuous or rotating roster the components can compound. Because the exact percentages depend on the shift type, identify each applicable loading and confirm its current value against the Fair Work source so the components are layered correctly.

Weekend work attracts penalties that vary by whether the hours are ordinary or overtime and by the shift worked. As a guide across modern awards, Saturday penalties are commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50% for ordinary work, but this award sets its own multipliers for terminal work and they can be higher, especially once shift loadings are added. Always confirm the current weekend rate for the specific shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Overtime is paid at penalty multiples of the minimum hourly rate, and the rate typically escalates after the first few hours, with higher rates again on Sundays and public holidays and specific treatment for continuous shift workers. Because the exact multipliers and the point at which they step up depend on the day and the roster, check the overtime provisions and current figures against the Fair Work source rather than applying a generic rate.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a high rate under this award, with ordinary hours and overtime attracting different multipliers and shift loadings able to apply on top. As a general guide, public holiday work across awards can reach up to 150% or more. Because terminal rosters can push the figure higher, confirm the current public holiday rate for the relevant shift on the Fair Work source before paying it.

Standard employees receive four weeks of annual leave under the National Employment Standards, and continuous shift workers receive an additional week. Leave is not simply paid at the base rate: the award requires the greater of the ordinary rate plus leave loading, or rostered earnings including rostered overtime and public holidays. Annual leave loading is commonly 17.5%. Confirm the entitlement, the payment method and the current loading on the Fair Work source before paying out leave.

The award includes a first aid allowance for appointed, certified first aiders, a tool allowance for tradespersons who supply their own tools, a meal allowance when working overtime, reimbursement of the cost of statutorily required licences, and provision of or reimbursement for protective clothing. Values are indexed over time, so do not rely on a remembered amount. Look up the current allowance and the conditions that trigger it on the Fair Work source before adding it to pay.

Yes. An employee recalled to the terminal after leaving is generally entitled to a minimum payment for the call-back, and the award provides for a minimum rest period of consecutive hours between rostered work, with a penalty rate applying if an employee resumes without that break. The exact minimum hours and rates are set in the award, so confirm the current call-back and rest-after-overtime provisions against the Fair Work source.

Classify each employee correctly in the right stream, confirm coverage against the Port Authorities and enterprise award exclusions, apply the extra week of leave for continuous shift workers, and layer shift loadings, weekend, overtime and public holiday rates accurately, always against current Fair Work figures. Keep records and update rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. Outsourcing to a provider like Valont, whose payroll is kept award-compliant against the Fair Work source, removes much of this manual roster risk.