Contract Call Centres Award

The Contract Call Centres Award 2020 (MA000023) is the modern award covering employers and employees in Australia's contract call centre industry. It applies where a business's principal function is supplying inbound or outbound customer contact services to a number of clients on a contract basis, and to the customer-contact and clerical staff they engage. It excludes directors and managers who can hire or fire, and staff covered by another award or an enterprise agreement. If you run an outsourced contact centre, this award likely sets your minimum conditions.

The award is aimed at businesses whose principal function is providing contact-centre services to multiple clients on contract. A call team that exists to service its own employer's customers is usually covered by the award for that employer's industry instead, not MA000023. Getting this distinction right matters because it changes which rates and conditions apply. If you are unsure which award fits your operation, confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay.

Minimum rates are set by classification across two streams: a customer-contact stream and a clerical and administration stream, with the level definitions in a schedule to the award. Each classification has a minimum weekly rate for full-time adults, plus an hourly rate for part-time and casual staff, and junior or supported wage employees are paid a percentage of the adult rate. Because the figures change every year, confirm the exact current rate for each classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than using an old number.

There are two streams. The customer-contact stream runs from a trainee and officer levels up through specialist and team-leader roles, while the clerical and administration stream runs across several levels plus a technical associate classification. An employee's stream and level are decided by the work and responsibility described in the award schedule, not the job title. Read the schedule definitions and confirm the current rate for the matching classification on the Fair Work source before setting pay.

Ordinary hours are based on an average 38-hour week, worked within a defined daytime span on weekdays and a separate Saturday window, with a cap on ordinary hours per day. Work outside that span, or beyond the weekly ordinary hours, generally falls into penalty or overtime rates. Part-time employees work fewer agreed hours with reasonably predictable patterns. For the exact daily span, Saturday window and any agreed flexibility, check the current award text on the Fair Work source, as these details can change.

Weekend work attracts penalty rates rather than ordinary pay. As a general guide, Saturday penalties are commonly around 25% and Sunday penalties around 50%, with casual employees attracting higher rates again, and Sunday hours can be treated differently depending on whether they fall inside or outside the ordinary span. These figures are reviewed every year and the precise structure sits in the award. Confirm the current weekend rates on the Fair Work source before paying staff.

Work outside ordinary hours, or beyond the weekly ordinary-hours limit, is paid as overtime at escalating multipliers, with a higher rate after the first few hours and higher rates again on Sundays. Casual employees are paid overtime on a base that already includes their loading, so their overtime rates are higher. Rest breaks also apply after set periods of overtime. For the current overtime multipliers and how they stack, refer to the Fair Work source rather than estimating.

Casual employees are paid the relevant minimum hourly rate plus a casual loading, commonly 25%, in place of paid leave and similar entitlements. As a guide, that loading applies to ordinary hours, and there is a minimum number of hours a casual must be paid for each time they are rostered. Penalties and overtime then build on the appropriate base. Always confirm the current loading percentage and minimum engagement on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing casual pay.

Employees who work qualifying afternoon or night shifts as designated shiftworkers receive a shift loading on top of the minimum hourly rate, and employees on permanent, non-rotating night shift over a sustained period attract a higher loading again. These loadings are separate from weekend penalties and overtime. The applicable loading depends on the shift type and pattern, and the figures are reviewed annually, so confirm the current shift loadings on the Fair Work source before setting rates for shiftworkers.

Employees who work on a public holiday are paid a penalty rate for the hours worked, which as a general guide can run up to 150%, with casual rates higher again, and a short shift typically still attracts a minimum payment. Employees who would normally work but take the day off are generally not deducted pay for the holiday. The exact public-holiday rate and any minimum engagement are set in the award and reviewed each year, so confirm the current figures on the Fair Work source.

The award includes both work-related and expense-related allowances. Common ones are a first aid allowance for a qualified, appointed first aider, an overtime meal allowance when an employee works through a rest break, and motor vehicle and travelling expense allowances where staff are required to use their own vehicle or incur travel costs. The dollar amounts are reviewed each year, so always take the current allowance figures from the Fair Work Pay Calculator before paying or reimbursing staff rather than using a remembered amount.

Yes. Eligible employees are generally entitled to annual leave loading of 17.5% on top of their base pay when they take annual leave, in line with the standard modern award entitlement. How that interacts with shiftwork and weekend penalties is set in the award, and the way it is calculated can catch employers out. Confirm the current annual leave loading entitlement and its interaction with penalties on the Fair Work source before processing leave payments.

Valont provides outsourced, award-compliant payroll for Australian SMEs, including contract call centres covered by MA000023. We map your staff to the correct stream and classification, apply the annual 1 July increases, and handle penalties, casual loading, shift loadings, leave loading and allowances against current Fair Work figures. That removes the guesswork and the back-pay risk, so you can focus on running the operation rather than tracking award changes.