Clerks Award [MA000002]

This page is a summary of who the Clerks Award covers and doesn’t cover. Find a copy of the award at Clerks Award.

Learn how to calculate pay rates and check entitlements from Find pay rates and entitlements.

On this page:

Who the Clerks Award covers

The Clerks Award covers employees who mainly carry out clerical and administrative work and their employers in the private sector.

Clerical and administrative work means:

  • filing and photocopying
  • typing and word processing
  • managing accounts, invoices and orders
  • billing clients and customers
  • maintaining records and journals, including payroll
  • answering calls
  • cash handling
  • operating a telephone switchboard
  • attending a reception desk
  • secretarial and executive support services.

Examples of employers and employees covered by the Clerks Award include:

  • administrative assistants
  • receptionists (eg. in a tax accounting firm)
  • bookkeepers (eg. in a manufacturing company)
  • clerical employees in a retail head office (if no retail activities are conducted at the office)
  • diploma qualified employees who complete financial/tax schedules or income tax returns (except where their employer is in the banking, finance or insurance industry)
  • wholesale travel operators selling packages directly to other travel companies.

The Clerical Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are placed with an organisation in a clerical role covered by this award and who are not covered by another award with clerical classifications.

Check the award for full information on who is covered and the classification descriptions.

Source reference: Clerks - Private Sector Award [MA000002] clauses 2, 4 and schedule A

Who the Clerks Award doesn't cover

Employers and employees are not covered by the Clerks Award when:

  • the employees are working in the public sector (eg. working for a local council or government body)
  • they are employed as a qualified accountant in an accountancy practice or within the banking, finance and insurance industry
  • they are selling travel packages to final consumers for a retail travel agency.

The Clerks Award doesn't cover employers and employees when they are covered by an industry award that has clerical classifications, including:

  • Aged Care Award
  • Airline Ground Staff Award
  • Airport Award
  • Alpine Resorts Award
  • Animal and Veterinary Services Award
  • Banking, Finance and Insurance Award
  • Black Coal Award
  • Business Equipment Award
  • Contract Call Centres Award
  • Educational Services (Post-Secondary) Award
  • Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award
  • Fitness Award
  • Health Services Award
  • Higher Education General Staff Award
  • Hospitality Award
  • Legal Award
  • Market and Social Research Award
  • Meat Award
  • Rail Award
  • Registered Clubs Award
  • Restaurant Award
  • Retail Award
  • Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award
  • Sporting Organisation Award
  • Telecommunications Award.

Check the award for full information on coverage and classifications.

Source reference: Clerks - Private Sector Award [MA000002] clauses 2, 4 and schedule A

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