Silviculture Award

If you are engaged in silviculture in Australia - establishing and tending forests through planting, thinning, pruning, weed control and similar work - and employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Silviculture Award 2020 (MA000040) generally applies. It covers plantation and native forest establishment work. Timber harvesting and processing fall under the Timber Industry Award, and some functions may sit under other awards, so confirm coverage for each role against the Fair Work source.

MA000040 sets minimum rates against classification levels defined by the skills, training and responsibilities of each role, from basic planting and field labour up to skilled operators and crew leaders. You assign each employee to the level matching the duties they actually perform, then pay at least that level's minimum rate. Title alone is not enough; assess the real work. Look up the current rate for the classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. Across modern awards this loading is commonly 25%, but treat that as a guide only. Confirm the exact figure MA000040 sets, along with any minimum engagement and casual conversion rules, against the Fair Work source before running pay - this matters most during planting season when crews are largely casual.

Ordinary hours worked on Saturdays and Sundays attract weekend penalties on top of the minimum rate. As a general guide across awards, Saturday loadings commonly run around 25% and Sunday around 50%. The silviculture award sets its own figures, so confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates for the relevant employment type on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing pay for weekend planting or fire-management work.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a premium under MA000040, and as a guide public holiday rates across awards can reach up to 150% of the ordinary rate. Employees who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Where weather or fire conditions require crews to work a public holiday, confirm the current entitlement against the Fair Work source.

Overtime applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, such as exceeding daily or weekly limits or working outside the agreed spread of hours, which can happen with long days during the planting window or fire season. Overtime rates step up after the first couple of hours, with higher rates on Sundays and public holidays. Confirm the exact overtime multipliers for your situation on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern recorded in writing, with changes also agreed in writing, and receive pro-rata leave and the same classification rates as full-timers. Seasonal planting labour is commonly casual, engaged by the hour with a loading and minimum engagement. Apply the right engagement type for each worker and check the part-time and casual provisions in MA000040 before building a crew.

Because silviculture crews often work in remote forests away from town, the award can provide travel, vehicle or distant-work allowances to compensate for the time and cost of reaching and working at remote sites. Whether and how they apply depends on the location and arrangement. Identify which travel and remote allowances apply to each crew, and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator, as they change with the annual review.

Beyond travel and remote allowances, the award can provide a leading hand allowance for crew leaders in charge of others, a living-away or distant-work allowance, a meal allowance, and industry or special allowances for the working conditions encountered in the field. Some are paid per day or per occasion and are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role 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% of the ordinary rate. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave. Casuals, including most seasonal planting labour, do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments 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%. You must apply the new rates from that pay period, not the calendar date, so verify the current figures for each classification and allowance on the Fair Work Pay Calculator each year.

The silviculture award does not set junior or apprentice rates; it classifies adults across its grades and pays each at the minimum rate for the level matching their duties. Where you engage a trainee, trainee rates come from Schedule E of the Miscellaneous Award 2020 rather than this award. Because the underlying rates change with the annual review, confirm the rate that applies to each worker on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Start by confirming each employee's correct classification, then apply the current minimum rate, the right weekend and public holiday penalties, travel and remote-work allowances, and overtime, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of hours and remote-site travel are essential, especially across a short planting season. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for employers like forestry operators, mapping crews to the correct classifications, allowances and penalties so the right amount is paid every cycle.