Marine Tourism and Charter Vessels Award

If you run a marine tourism or charter vessel business in Australia - cruises, dive and fishing charters, sailing tours, whale watching and similar - and employ crew or onboard staff who are not award-free, the Marine Tourism and Charter Vessels Award 2020 (MA000093) generally applies to that work. Other maritime awards cover towage, offshore oil and gas and port operations, and land-based hospitality has its own award, so confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay.

MA000093 classifies employees by the role performed on the vessel and the skills and certificates of competency it requires, from crew levels and deckhands up through coxswains, marine engineer (MED) grades and masters. You place each person at the classification matching their actual duties and the qualifications they use, then pay at least that minimum. A crew member who skippers or holds an engineering ticket generally sits higher. Read the current rate for the correct classification from the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual crew are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. Because marine tourism is seasonal, much of the workforce is casual, and the loading interacts with weekend and public holiday penalties. Treat 25% as a guide only and confirm the exact loading, and how it combines with penalties, for this award on the Fair Work source before running pay.

Charter and tourism operations run heavily on weekends, and ordinary hours worked on Saturdays and Sundays attract weekend penalties under the award. As a general guide across awards, Saturday penalties commonly run around 25% and Sunday around 50%, but MA000093 sets its own figures by role and employment type. Confirm the current weekend rates for the relevant classification and engagement on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing pay for weekend sailings.

Public holiday entitlements flow from the National Employment Standards and the award. Tourism vessels often work their busiest days on public holidays, and as a guide public holiday work across awards can attract penalties of up to 150%. The award's own provisions determine what applies to a given shift and employment type. Always verify the current public holiday entitlement for the relevant crew on the Fair Work source before processing a pay run that includes one.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, such as long peak-season days that exceed daily or weekly limits or fall outside the spread of ordinary hours. Overtime typically steps up after the first couple of hours, with higher rates on Sundays and public holidays. Because charter days can run long and irregular, identify when ordinary hours end for each role and confirm the applicable overtime rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Part-time crew work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award generally requires a written agreement setting out the agreed hours, days and times, with changes agreed in writing. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same classification minimum rates as full-timers. Given seasonal demand, hours outside the agreed pattern may attract overtime. Check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements before engaging crew on that basis.

Junior rates can apply to younger employees in some roles, expressed as a percentage of the relevant adult minimum, and trainee provisions apply where someone is engaged under a recognised traineeship. Whether a junior or trainee rate applies depends on the role and classification, and some safety-critical positions require certificates that a junior may not hold. Confirm the correct percentage for the employee and the resulting current rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

The award can provide allowances suited to vessel work, such as the marine engine driver (MED) certificate allowance, an outer reef work allowance, and meal and uniform allowances. Because some are tied to qualifications or specific conditions, they are easy to overlook. Identify which apply to each crew role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before paying.

Yes. Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when a permanent employee takes paid annual leave, set at 17.5% under this award. It applies to full-time and part-time crew taking annual leave, while casual crew do not accrue annual leave and instead receive the casual loading. Apply the loading when processing leave payments for permanent staff and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source.

Award 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%. Since this often coincides with peak season, you must apply the new rates from that pay period, so verify the current figures for each classification and allowance on the Fair Work Pay Calculator every year.

Much marine work requires recognised certificates of competency or licences, and the award's classifications reflect the role a person performs and the qualifications it requires. A deckhand who steps up to skipper a vessel, or who holds and uses an engineering ticket, is generally doing higher-classified work and should be paid accordingly. Map each crew member's actual role and the tickets they use to the right classification, then confirm the current rate on the Fair Work source.

The risks with MA000093 sit in classifying crew by role and ticket, handling a seasonal and heavily casual workforce, and capturing weekend, public holiday and overtime entitlements on a seven-day operation. The safest approach is to match each role to the right classification, apply the correct loadings and penalties, and refresh every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator each 1 July. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for marine tourism and charter operators, mapping crew to the correct classifications, allowances and penalties so figures stay current and accurate.