Racing Clubs Events Award

If you are a racing club in Australia engaging staff for race-day and event work - admissions, ticketing, betting and totalisator, enclosure and operational roles around a meeting - the Racing Clubs Events Award 2020 (MA000013) generally applies. Grounds and track maintenance, horse and greyhound training, and general catering sit under other awards, so confirm coverage for each role against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions.

The award sets minimum rates against classification levels defined by the event roles around a race meeting, from admissions and ticketing through betting operations and enclosure duties. You classify each worker by the duties they actually perform on the day, then pay at least that level's minimum. Because most engagement is casual, the classification combines with the casual loading. Read the current minimum for each level from the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on memory.

Casual employees, who make up most race-day staff, are paid the minimum rate for their classification plus a casual loading, commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. On weekend and public holiday meetings that loading combines with penalty rates, which is where errors creep in. Treat 25% as a guide and confirm the exact casual loading, and how it stacks with penalties, against the Fair Work source.

Saturday and Sunday work attracts weekend penalties on top of the ordinary rate, and because meetings cluster on weekends these are central rather than occasional. As a general guide across awards, Saturday is commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50%, but MA000013 sets its own figures and they combine with the casual loading. Always confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates for your employee type on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Many of the biggest racing days fall on public holidays, where work is paid at a significant premium under the award - as a guide up to 150% of the minimum rate - and for casuals the public holiday penalty layers on top of the casual loading. A minimum engagement may also apply. Staff who would normally work the day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Confirm the current entitlement against the Fair Work source.

Overtime applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours the award sets, such as exceeding the daily or weekly limit or working outside the spread of ordinary hours - which can happen on a long meeting or a big event day. Overtime rates step up after the first couple of hours and are higher on Sundays. For the exact current multipliers, check the overtime provisions and the Fair Work source before paying.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires a written agreement recording 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. Because event work is irregular, casual engagement is more common, but check the part-time provisions in the award before using that arrangement.

Race-day roles often suit younger workers, and where the award provides for junior employees their minimum rates are usually set as a percentage of the relevant adult classification rate, stepping up with age. The applicable percentage depends on the engagement and the classification. Rather than estimating, confirm the current junior percentage and the resulting rate for the role against the Fair Work Pay Calculator each year.

The award provides for allowances suited to event work, which can include first aid and meal allowances for qualifying work, along with other payments the award specifically sets. Some are paid per shift or per occasion, so on a busy race day they are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on remembered figures.

Yes, for permanent staff. 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% of the minimum rate of pay. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave; casual race-day staff do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments for permanent staff 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%. With a large casual workforce and a season of meetings ahead, apply the new rates from that pay period and verify the current figures for each classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator every year.

Major meetings like a carnival or cup day bring in a surge of casuals across many roles, often on a weekend or public holiday. Each person still needs the correct classification, the casual loading, the right weekend or public holiday penalty, and the minimum engagement for their shift. The volume is where mistakes multiply. Map each role and shift, and confirm the combined rate for the day against the Fair Work source before paying.

Start by confirming each person's correct classification - admissions, ticketing, betting, enclosure or operations - then apply the current minimum rate, the casual loading, the weekend and public holiday penalties that dominate a race-day roster, minimum engagements for short shifts and any applicable allowances, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records for a large casual workforce are essential. Valont's award-compliant payroll service handles this classification, rate and penalty mapping for racing-club employers so the right amount is paid every cycle.