From 1 July 2011, Fair Work Australia increased the minimum wage in modern awards by 3.4%.
This increase applied to pay rates for employees covered by the national minimum wage, modern awards, all transitional pay and classification scales, state reference transitional awards and Division 2B State Awards.
For adult employees who aren’t covered by an award or agreement, the adult national minimum wage was increased from $569.90 per week to $589.30, or $15.51 per hour.
The 2011 annual wage review decision increases modern award weekly wages by 3.4%.
Most modern awards contain transitional provisions which provide for the phasing in of in the differences between pre-modern award and modern award rates of pay. Visit Finding the right pay for information and tools to help you calculate minimum wages.
Check your registered agreement to see how it deals with annual wage increases.
Your base pay rate must not be less than the relevant modern award pay rate or, if none applies, the national minimum wage.
You are entitled to the applicable national minimum wage. From 1 July 2011, the rates are:
- Adult employees: $589.30 (before tax), or $15.51 per hour. An adult employee is a national system employee who is 21 years or over.
- Casual employees: casual loading of 22% per hour.
- Apprentices: apprentice wage rates in the Miscellaneous Award 2010. Adult apprentices cannot be paid less than the adult minimum wage. An adult apprentice is 21 or older when they enter into the training agreement.
- Trainees: national training wage rates in the Miscellaneous Award 2010.
- Juniors: rates based on percentages for juniors in the Miscellaneous Award 2010.
- Special national minimum wage 1: $589.30 per week, or $15.51 per hour. This is for employees with a disability which does not affect their productivity.
- Special national minimum wage 2: a percentage of the full special national minimum wage 1 ($589.30 per week, or $15.51 per hour). The percentage is based on the employee’s productive capacity. This is for employees with a disability that does affect their productivity. These employees are guaranteed at least $75 per week.
Visit Finding the right pay for information and tools to help you calculate minimum wages.
Most modern awards have phasing arrangements to phase in modern award entitlements.
Base rates of pay, penalty rates and loadings are being phased in over 4 years in 20% instalments each year until 1 July 2014.
Visit Finding the right pay for information and tools to help you calculate minimum wages.
Work-related allowances (such as leading-hand and industry allowances) in modern awards are a percentage of the standard rate of pay in the award. Therefore they increase when the standard rate increases.
Expense-related allowances are increased by Fair Work Australia to meet the requirements of the relevant modern award. We publish the changes by 1 July each year.
Check your modern award for details. Visit How to find an award for information about finding the award that applies to you.
Yes. Piece rates are increased based on the increase to modern award minimum wages. Visit Finding the right pay for information and tools to help you calculate minimum wages.
No, as long as your pay stays above the base pay rate in the relevant modern award, agreement or national minimum wage order.