Mining Industry Award

If you operate in the general mining industry in Australia - metalliferous or other mineral extraction other than black coal, exploration or on-site mineral processing - and you employ staff who are not award-free, the Mining Industry Award 2020 (MA000011) generally applies. Black coal mining has its own award, and some site roles may fall under other instruments. Confirm coverage for your specific operation against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions.

MA000011 covers the general mining industry - metalliferous and other minerals - while black coal mining is covered separately by the Black Coal Mining Industry Award, which has its own classifications and conditions. Coal export terminals also have a dedicated award. If your operation involves coal, the general mining award is unlikely to be the right instrument. Check which award covers your commodity and roles on the Fair Work source before paying staff.

Match the employee to the level within the relevant stream - production and engineering, or mine staff - that reflects the work they actually perform, using the award's classification definitions covering skills, qualifications and responsibilities. A qualified tradesperson or supervisor sits higher than an entry-level operator. Title alone is not enough; assess the real duties, then read the current minimum rate for that level from the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual mining employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, which is commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of the paid leave and other entitlements casuals do not receive. The loading can interact with shift, weekend and public holiday penalties, so it is not always a simple add-on. Treat 25% as a guide and confirm the exact loading and how it combines with penalties and shift loadings for this award on the Fair Work source before running pay.

Mining often runs continuous shift rosters, so weekend penalties and afternoon, night and continuous shift loadings stack across the week, and continuous-shift arrangements can change how penalties apply. As a general guide across awards, Saturday is commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50%, but the award sets its own figures for each shift band and employment type. Map each shift's day and start time and confirm the current loadings on the Fair Work source rather than applying a flat rate.

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%, but the award's own provisions, and any continuous-shift arrangements, determine what actually applies to a given shift. Always verify the public holiday rate, and the treatment of staff rostered off or working a public holiday on a remote roster, for MA000011 on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing the pay run.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond an employee's ordinary or rostered hours, with the award setting overtime rates that can step up after the first hours and differ on weekends and public holidays. On continuous shift rosters, overtime interacts with shift cycles and any agreed averaging of hours. Identify which hours count as overtime for each worker, taking the roster cycle into account, and confirm the applicable rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires a written agreement setting out the agreed hours, days and times, with changes also agreed in writing. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rates as full-timers for their classification. Part-time arrangements are less common on remote rosters but still apply; check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements.

Mining employs apprentices in trades such as mechanical and electrical work, and the award sets apprentice rates as a percentage of the relevant tradesperson rate, increasing as the apprentice progresses through the stages of their apprenticeship. Because the underlying tradesperson rate changes each year, apply the correct percentage to the current rate, and remember allowances may also apply. Confirm the figure on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on memory.

The award provides allowances reflecting mining work, which can include an industry allowance, leading hand, first aid, underground and meal allowances, and provisions relevant to remote or living-away arrangements. Some allowances are all-purpose and feed into overtime and leave calculations, so missing them has a knock-on effect. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than using remembered figures.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes annual leave; under this award it is 17.5% of the minimum rate of pay, applying to full-time and part-time employees taking paid annual leave. Shift workers do not accrue extra annual leave under this award, but they do have a higher threshold before accrued leave counts as excessive. Casuals do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave and confirm the calculation on the Fair Work source.

Minimum rates, apprentice 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 that pay period, not the calendar date, and because rosters, overtime and all-purpose allowances build on the base rate, refresh every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator each year.

The risks with MA000011 sit in the detail: the right classification and stream, continuous and rotating shift rosters, all-purpose industry allowances, stacked weekend and shift penalties, apprentice rates, and figures refreshed every July. Anchor every figure to the Fair Work Pay Calculator, model each roster cycle carefully, and review pay each 1 July. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for mining employers, mapping rosters, classifications, allowances and penalties so the right amount is paid every cycle.