Horticulture Award

If you grow, harvest or handle horticultural produce in Australia - fruit, vegetables, nuts, flowers or some specialised crops - and employ workers to do that, the Horticulture Award 2020 (MA000028) generally applies. It covers planting, cultivating, picking, field packing and similar work. Plant nurseries are excluded under clause 4.3(e) and are covered separately by the Nursery Award MA000033, and broadacre and livestock farming, wine grape growing and factory processing can fall under other awards. Confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions, especially if your operation spans several activities.

The award sets minimum rates across classification levels defined by the skills and responsibilities of the work, from basic planting, picking and packing up to skilled operators, supervisors and trade-qualified staff. You classify each worker by the duties they actually perform, using the award's definitions, then pay at least the minimum for that level. Adult, junior and apprentice rates apply as relevant. Always confirm the current rate for the relevant classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator, as it changes each year.

Casual employees, including seasonal pickers and packers, are paid an hourly minimum plus a casual loading, which is commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. The loading does not replace weekend, public holiday or overtime entitlements, which can still apply during peak harvest. Treat 25% as a guide only and confirm the exact casual loading and how it interacts with penalties for MA000028 on the Fair Work source before running pay.

The award allows workers to be paid by output - per bin, bucket or unit - but only under a written piecework agreement that meets the award's requirements, and the piece rate must let an average competent worker earn at least the relevant minimum hourly rate. There are also record-keeping obligations. Paying by the piece without a compliant agreement or below the minimum-earnings safeguard breaches the award. Confirm the current piecework rules and benchmark against the Fair Work source.

Work on Saturdays and Sundays can attract weekend penalties on top of the ordinary rate, depending on the employee's classification and engagement. As a general guide across awards, Saturday loadings are commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50%, but this award sets its own figures and they interact with overtime during busy harvest periods. Confirm the current weekend penalty for the relevant role and shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than assuming a number.

Public holiday entitlements flow from the National Employment Standards and the award. As a guide, public holiday work across awards can attract penalties of up to 150% of the minimum rate, though harvest timing can mean crops still need picking. Permanent staff who would normally work but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Verify the public holiday rate and arrangements for your workers on the Fair Work source before a pay run that includes one.

Overtime generally applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, outside the spread of ordinary hours, or beyond daily or weekly limits, which is common during harvest peaks. Rates step up after the first couple of hours, with higher rates on weekends. How overtime applies to casual and piecework arrangements needs particular care. Identify which hours count as overtime for each worker and confirm the applicable rate via the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires the agreed hours, days and times to be documented, with changes also agreed. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rates as full-timers for their classification. Given the seasonal nature of the work, many farms use casual rather than part-time engagement. Check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements and confirm the rate on the Fair Work source.

The award can provide for allowances connected to the work, which may include a leading hand or supervisor allowance, a wet work allowance, first aid, a travelling allowance covering overnight accommodation, reimbursement for employer-required tools or equipment, and meal allowances for qualifying overtime, along with provisions affecting piece-rate workers. Some are paid per occasion and are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator, as they change with the annual review.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when a permanent employee takes paid annual leave, and under this award it is 17.5% of the minimum rate of pay. It applies to full-time and part-time horticulture staff taking annual leave; casual and seasonal pieceworkers paid as casuals do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments for eligible staff and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source.

Minimum rates, piece-rate benchmarks 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, piece rate and allowance on the Fair Work Pay Calculator every year.

Yes. Workers on visas, harvest-trail workers and pickers supplied through a labour-hire contractor are entitled to the same award classifications, minimum rates, loadings and penalties as any other employee doing the work. A worker's visa status does not reduce their entitlements, and host businesses can share responsibility for compliance in some labour-hire arrangements. Confirm the correct rates and your obligations for these workers via the Fair Work source before they start.

Start by classifying each worker correctly, then apply the current minimum rate or a compliant piece rate that meets the minimum-earnings safeguard, plus weekend penalties, overtime and any allowances, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of hours, output and any piecework agreements are essential, including for seasonal and labour-hire workers. Valont's award-compliant payroll service handles this classification, piece-rate, penalty and allowance mapping for horticulture employers so workers are paid correctly every cycle.

A plant nursery whose main activity is propagating and growing plant stock for sale is the Nursery Award, not Horticulture.