Journalists Published Media Award

If you run a published media business in Australia - newspapers, magazines, journals or their online and digital equivalents - and employ journalists, press photographers or editorial artists in the award's classifications, MA000067 generally applies. It does not cover radio or television broadcasting, which sits under a different award, and general office staff may be covered by the Clerks award. Confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting editorial pay and conditions.

The award runs from cadets in training up to graded editorial employees. Cadets are paid a percentage of an entry-level rate that rises with each year of the cadetship, then become graded once trained. Graded journalists, photographers and editorial artists sit in bands set by experience, independence and responsibility. Classify each person by the work they actually do, not their title, then read the current rate for that cadet year or graded band from the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual editorial employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading in place of the paid leave and other entitlements casuals do not receive. Across modern awards this loading is commonly 25%, but treat that as a guide and confirm the exact figure for MA000067 on the Fair Work source. Casual loading applies on top of the minimum for the relevant grade, and you should check how it interacts with any weekend or unsocial-hours penalties before running pay.

Editorial work often falls on weekends and outside standard hours, and the award provides penalties for such work on top of the ordinary rate. As a general guide across awards, weekend penalties commonly run around 25% on Saturday and 50% on Sunday, but MA000067 sets its own figures. Confirm what the award actually provides for the relevant day, time and employment type on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than assuming a percentage.

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%, and the award's own provisions determine what applies to a given shift and employment type. News does not stop for public holidays, so always verify the public holiday rate, and any arrangement for staff who do not work the day, for MA000067 on the Fair Work source before processing a pay run that includes one.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond an editorial employee's ordinary or rostered hours, or outside the spread of ordinary hours, and is paid at penalty rates that step up after the first hours worked. A meal allowance can apply on qualifying overtime. Deadlines can make overtime common in published media, so identify which hours count as overtime for each person and confirm the applicable overtime rate for MA000067 via the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer hours than full-timers on a reasonably predictable basis, and the award requires the agreed pattern of hours to be set out, with changes agreed. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rates as full-timers for their grade. Documenting the agreed pattern matters for calculating overtime and penalties correctly. Check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements.

A cadet is an employee in training for journalism, press photography or editorial art who has not yet become a graded employee. Cadets are paid a percentage of an entry-level rate that increases with each year of the cadetship, reflecting their progression through training. The employer is also expected to provide proper instruction in practical journalism. Track each cadet's year and confirm the current percentage and rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

MA000067 leans towards expense-related allowances suited to editorial work: reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket and transport expenses incurred on assignment, a meal allowance, an evening or formal attire allowance for certain assignments, and reimbursement for damage to clothing. Because these depend on circumstances rather than every shift, they are easy to overlook. Identify which apply to each assignment and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave, and under this award it is 17.5%. It applies to full-time and part-time editorial employees taking annual leave; casuals do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments, and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source rather than relying on memory.

Minimum rates, cadet 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%. Apply the new rates from the correct pay period, not the calendar date, and refresh the figures for each cadet year, graded band and allowance from the Fair Work Pay Calculator each year.

Yes. The published media industry under this award includes the online and digital equivalents of newspapers, magazines and journals, so journalists, photographers and editorial artists producing digital content are generally covered the same way as their print counterparts. What it does not cover is broadcast radio and television work, which falls under a separate award. If your team straddles formats, confirm coverage for each role against the Fair Work source.

Start by confirming each person's correct classification - the right cadet year or graded band - then apply the current minimum rate, the relevant penalties, and the expense and assignment allowances the award provides, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Keeping accurate records of hours, assignments and expenses is essential. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for media employers, mapping editorial staff to the correct grades, allowances and penalties so the right amount is paid every cycle.