The pay and conditions for many employees are in their enterprise agreement or award. A 'safety net’ also gives certain employees a minimum wage and other benefits. Employers must give their employees at least their minimum entitlements.
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Most employers and employees in Australia are covered by the Fair Work system, which sets and protects an employee’s minimum pay and entitlements. Learn more about where pay and entitlements come from, how they interact, and the different roles of the Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work Commission.
Download our Understanding employee pay and entitlements summary.
If you believe you are not getting the right pay, or you don’t understand your award or agreement, you can ask for help from the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Enterprise agreements usually set the minimum pay and conditions for the employees they cover. For example:
Find an agreement that covers you or your business.
Understand more about agreements, including what they are and how they are made, in the Agreements section.
An award (‘modern award’) probably sets your pay and conditions if you don't have an enterprise agreement. These include:
To view an award:
To understand how we create, change or revoke awards, see the Awards section.
Employees who are part of the national system have a ‘safety net’. This has 2 parts and gives them a minimum wage and other benefits.
The minimum wage is the first part of the safety net for employees in the national system.
The minimum wage is relevant to:
An employee must receive at least the minimum wage, even if they have an award or agreement.
Each year we review the minimum wage and issue a National Minimum Wage Order. Employers must pay the new rate in first full pay period that starts on or after 1 July.
The second part of the safety net is the National Employment Standards. These 11 standards contain the minimum terms and conditions for employees in the national workplace relations system.
An employee cannot receive less than the National Employment Standards, even if they have an award or agreement.