Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award

If your business carries out printing, graphic arts, pre-press, binding, finishing or related publishing and reproduction work in Australia and you employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2020 (MA000026) generally applies. Some work falls under other instruments, such as the Book Industry Award or general clerical and media 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, training and responsibilities for each level across pre-press, printing, finishing and related 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.

Saturday and Sunday ordinary hours attract weekend penalties under the award, and on a shift operation 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 Saturday and Sunday rates for the relevant shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing pay.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a significant premium under MA000026, which as a guide can reach up to 150% of the minimum rate, and a minimum payment may apply. Employees who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Check the current public holiday entitlement, including any arrangements for shift workers, against the Fair Work source before paying.

Overtime generally applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, such as exceeding the weekly average, working outside the rostered shift, or working through a required break to finish a run. It is paid at stepped penalty rates that increase after the first couple of hours, with different treatment on Sundays and public holidays. For the exact current multipliers, refer to the overtime provisions and the Fair Work source.

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 onto shifts, be clear in writing about those hours, and check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements.

Junior employees and apprentices are generally paid a percentage of the relevant adult rate, with apprentices in the printing and graphic arts trades moving up through a scale tied to their year of training. 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 junior and apprentice rates, and the correct training-year step, on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

The award provides for a range of allowances tied to the work, which may include leading hand, first aid, meal (for qualifying overtime) and allowances for particular conditions or materials, along with tool allowances where relevant. Because several are linked to specific duties or conditions, they are easy to overlook. 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.

Pre-press, design and reproduction roles are generally covered alongside press and finishing roles under this award, each sitting at the classification level that matches their skills and duties, though some design or media roles can fall under a different award depending on the business. The key is to assess what the employee actually does and classify accordingly. If you are unsure whether a particular role is covered here or elsewhere, confirm against the Fair Work source.

Start with the correct classification for each employee, then layer shift loadings, weekend and public holiday penalties, overtime and any condition-based allowances, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of hours and shifts are essential on a press roster. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for printing, graphic arts and publishing employers, mapping shifts to the correct classifications, penalties and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.