Each award has its own unique code, consisting of letters and numbers. The letters at the beginning of the code identify the type of award (or instrument type). Many of these have been replaced by modern awards. What the various letters stand for is explained below.
AN - Notional agreement preserving State awards (NAPSA)
These preserved terms and conditions of employment from State awards and / or State legislation that applied to employees of a constitutional corporation in NSW, QLD, WA, SA and TAS immediately before 27 March 2006.
AP - Pre-reform award
A type of award that was made by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) before 27 March 2006.
Pre-reform awards set out minimum conditions of employment for some or all of an employer’s employees.
Pre-reform awards could apply by:
- citation (where the employer is a named respondent)
- respondency where the employer was a member of an employer association that was bound to the pre-reform award
- common rule across an industry (in Victoria, the ACT and / or the NT)
- transmission of business under the Workplace Relations Act 2006 (this is called ‘transfer of business’ under the Fair Work Act 2009).
Most pre-reform awards (other than enterprise awards) were replaced by modern awards on 1 January 2010. From 1 July 2009 they became a type of “award based transitional instrument”.
AT - Transitional award
A type of federal award that was in force immediately before 27 March 2006 and applied to non-constitutional corporations (eg. because they were named in the award) which were not otherwise part of the national system.
In the national workplace relations system, there are different types of transitional awards.
‘Continuing Schedule 6 instruments’ are transitional awards that are not supported by a referral of industrial relations powers from a State. These types of instruments cease to operate on 27 March 2011. After this time, employees and employers covered by one of these instruments will fall back to their State system. As all States except Western Australia have referred their industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth, this will only apply to Western Australia.
‘State reference transitional awards’ are transitional awards that are supported by a referral of industrial relations powers from a State. These types of instruments can be replaced by a modern award.
MA - Modern award
An award made by the AIRC as part of the award modernisation process. Further modern awards can also be made by Fair Work Australia.
Modern awards operate together with the National Employment Standards (NES) to provide minimum conditions of employment for employers and employees in the ‘national system’.
Modern awards supplement the NES by setting out additional minimum terms and conditions that apply in a particular industry or occupation including monetary entitlements such as wages, penalty rates and allowances.
Modern awards consolidated and replaced terms and conditions of employment that were previously contained in pre-modern awards (e.g. pre-reform awards and NAPSAs).
Modern awards also include minimum wage entitlements that were previously contained in the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (e.g. pay scales and the federal minimum wage).
Modern awards commenced operation on 1 January 2010.
RA - Div 2B State award
State awards that covered State reference employers (e.g. non-constitutional corporations) and their employees in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia or Tasmania immediately before 1 January 2010 are called ‘Division 2B State awards’.
Employers must have actually been covered by the former State award on 31 December 2009 in order to be covered by the Division 2B State award.
Division 2B State awards (other than Division 2B enterprise awards) terminated on 31 December 2010. Employers previously covered by a Division 2B State award will generally be covered by a modern award from 1 January 2011, however in most cases the conditions from the Division 2B State awards will continue to apply until the end of the full pay period commencing before 1 February 2011 (depending on the transitional arrangements in the modern award).
RE - Div 2B enterprise award
State awards for a particular enterprise that covered State reference employers (e.g. non-constitutional corporations) and their employees in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia or Tasmania immediately before 1 January 2010 are called ‘Division 2B State enterprise awards’.