Gas Industry Award

If your business transmits, distributes, wholesales or retails gas in Australia, or carries out related network, metering and maintenance work, and you employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Gas Industry Award 2020 (MA000061) generally applies. Some gas-related activities — such as the manufacture of industrial, medical and special gases and LPG work — sit under other awards. Some roles also fall under other instruments, such as the Electrical Power Industry Award or general clerical and contracting awards. Confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions.

Assign each employee to the level that reflects the work they actually perform, using the classification definitions in the award, which describe the skills, qualifications and responsibilities for each level across operational, field, metering, trades and technical roles. A title alone is not enough; assess the real duties. Once you have the correct level, read its current minimum rate from the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of the paid leave and entitlements casuals do not accrue. On shift, weekend or public holiday work, the casual loading interacts with the relevant penalty, so the all-up rate needs care. Treat 25% as a guide and confirm the exact loading and how it combines with penalties for this award on the Fair Work source.

Because gas supply is a seven-day operation, Saturday and Sunday work attracts weekend penalties on top of the ordinary rate, and on a shift roster these can combine with afternoon or night shift loadings. As a general guide, weekend penalties commonly run around 25% on Saturday and around 50% on Sunday, but the award sets its own figures by shift and employment type. Confirm the current rates for the relevant shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a significant premium under MA000061, which as a guide can reach up to 150% of the minimum rate, and a minimum payment may apply. Staff who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Because networks must be staffed on public holidays, confirm the current entitlement, including arrangements for shift workers, against the Fair Work source.

Overtime generally applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, including hours worked after being recalled to deal with a fault or emergency. It is paid at stepped penalty rates that increase after the first couple of hours, with different treatment on Sundays and public holidays. Identify which hours count as overtime for each worker, and confirm the applicable overtime rate for this award via the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires the agreed hours and days to be recorded in writing, with changes also agreed. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rate as full-timers for their classification. Where part-timers are rostered into shift or on-call arrangements, be clear in writing about how those hours are handled, and check the part-time provisions in the award.

Gas operations that run around the clock often use continuous shifts, which the award treats differently from ordinary day or non-continuous shift work, with their own shift loadings and rostering rules. Afternoon and night loadings depend on the shift's timing and stack with weekend and public holiday penalties, so an overnight weekend shift can combine several elements. Identify whether a roster is continuous and confirm the applicable loadings for each shift band against the Fair Work source.

The award provides for a range of allowances tied to the work, which may include leading hand, first aid, meal (for qualifying overtime), tool and vehicle allowances, among others. Field and operational roles may trigger additional condition-based entitlements. Because several are linked to specific duties or conditions, they are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on remembered figures.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave. Under this award it is 17.5% of the minimum rate. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave, while casuals do not accrue annual leave. For shift workers there can be interaction with shift loadings, so apply the loading carefully and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source.

Minimum rates and many allowances are reviewed each year in the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review and take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. The 2026 review increased modern award minimums by 4.75%. To stay compliant you must apply the new rates from that pay period, not the calendar date, so verify the current figures for each classification and allowance on the Fair Work Pay Calculator every year.

Apprentices in the trades streams are generally paid a percentage of the relevant adult tradesperson rate, on a scale that steps up with each year of their apprenticeship, and competency-based progression can apply. Because both the percentage and the adult base change over time, work the rate out fresh rather than carrying an old figure. Confirm the current apprentice rate and the correct training-year step on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Start with the correct classification for each employee, then layer shift loadings, weekend and public holiday penalties, overtime, and the on-call, standby and recall entitlements this safety-critical work depends on, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of rostered, shift and call-out hours are essential. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for gas industry employers, mapping rosters and call-outs to the correct classifications, penalties and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.

Upstream extraction and production of gas is the Hydrocarbons (Upstream) Award; this award is transmission, distribution and retail.