July 1 Changes to Fair Work Industry Awards (2018)

Recently, Fair Work confirmed they would be moving ahead with another round of changes to that you might need to know about, effective beginning the first full pay cycle on or after 1 July, 2018.

1. Change to minimum wage

The first change is a 3.5% increase to the national minimum wage. This means that any businesses currently using a modern award in Deputy and paying minimum wage will need to update their base rate in Deputy in order to remain compliant. If you’re not sure how to do this, check out our handy help doc for some step-by-step guidance.

2. Changes to penalty rates

The second change will affect businesses that are currently paying their employees under any of the following Fair Work Industry Awards:

Fast Food Industry Award 2010

General Retail Industry Award 2010

Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010

Pharmacy Industry Award 2010

Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2010

The most notable changes in these awards is the reduction to Sunday penalty rates (in some cases up to 15%). If you would like to pay your team according to the latest update to penalty and loading rates, we have created a ‘Post 2018’ version that will accurately reflect the most current version of the Award.

3. Changes to overtime

Due to Fair Work changes that were made at Christmas, businesses using the following awards will also need to ensure that they have selected the correct version of their award that will ensure compliance with new overtime penalties for casual workers:

Fast Food Industry Award 2010

General Retail Industry Award 2010

Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010

Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2010

Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2010

Restaurant Industry Award 2010

Must select the new ‘Post 2018’

NB: For all awards excluding the Restaurant Industry Award 2010, the ‘Post 2017 – with OT’ version is still compliant, as penalty rates are higher than those required for compliance.

For further information about the changes to overtime, please refer to the Fair Work website.

4. Changes to the Wine Industry Award

Lastly, as of the 1 July 2018, Fair Work also made changes to the Wine Industry Award 2010 regarding the minimum shift requirements for employees doing pruning or harvesting work during unexpected wet weather. You will need to make sure you have selected the ‘Post 2018’ version of the award, to ensure that your business is compliant with the most current Wine Industry Award changes.

At Deputy, we know how difficult it can be to stay compliant with complex workplace laws, which is why we always like to do the heavy lifting where we can. If you aren’t currently using Deputy’s Award Interpretation, here’s how easy it is to get set-up.