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Fair Work Ombudsman — Verified Minimums
Effective from the first full pay period on or after . These are award minimum casual rates published by the Fair Work Ombudsman — the legal floor for casual employment in Australia.
Quick answer — headline rates
Building & Construction Award (MA000020) unless otherwise noted. Rates include 25% casual loading and all-purpose industry allowance where applicable.
Before reading the table, two important points about how FWO casual rates are constructed:
The published FWO casual rate already includes the standard 25% casual loading on top of the ordinary rate. You do not add it again.
The Building and Construction Award bakes an all-purpose industry allowance of $1.77/hr directly into the published casual rate. The Mobile Crane Award carries $1.68/hr the same way. Do not add these again on top.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides — effective . All rates are the published casual ordinary hourly rate for the relevant award and classification.
| Trade | Award | Classification | Casual $/hr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labourer | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW1(a) | $35.55 |
| Traffic Controller | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW1(a) | $35.55 |
| Dogman | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW2 | $37.99 |
| Concreter | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Steel Fixer | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Carpenter | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Bricklayer | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Scaffolder | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Rigger | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Formworker | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Painter | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Tiler | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Roofer | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Glazier | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Waterproofer | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Demolition | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03 |
| Electrician | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW4 | $40.19 |
| Plumber | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW4 | $40.19 |
| Boilermaker | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW4 | $40.19 |
| Welder | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW4 | $40.19 |
| HVAC Technician | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW4 | $40.19 |
| Fire Protection | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW4 | $40.19 |
| Crane Operator | MA000020— Building & Construction | CW5 | $41.35 |
| Forklift Operator | MA000010— Manufacturing | C11 | $34.96 |
| Welder/Fitter (workshop) | MA000010— Manufacturing | C10 | $36.81 |
| Warehouse Storeperson | MA000084— Storage | G1 | $33.85 |
| Landscaper | MA000101— Landscaping | L1 | $33.05 |
| Landscaper (trade) | MA000101— Landscaping | L4 | $36.81 |
| Driver | MA000038— Road Transport | G1 | $33.59 |
| Truck Driver | MA000038— Road Transport | G3 | $34.79 |
| Heavy Vehicle Driver | MA000038— Road Transport | G5 | $35.84 |
| Cleaner | MA000022— Cleaning | L1 | $33.85 |
| Cleaning Supervisor | MA000022— Cleaning | L2 | $34.96 |
| Security Guard | MA000016— Security | L1 | $35.53 |
| Security Officer | MA000016— Security | L2 | $36.55 |
⚠ These are award minimums for casual employment — the legal floor. Site enterprise agreements often pay higher. Always verify your specific classification at fairwork.gov.au.
Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), the award prescribes an all-purpose industry allowance of $1.77/hrfor general building and construction work. “All-purpose” means it is included before overtime and penalty rate calculations — it lifts the base from which loadings are calculated.
Because the FWO pay guide publishes the final casual ordinary rate (allowance already rolled in), you do not need to add $1.77 on top of the published figure. It is already there.
The Mobile Crane Hiring Award (MA000032) works the same way — it carries an all-purpose industry allowance of $1.68/hr already included in the published casual rates for crane operators. The Manufacturing Award (MA000010), Storage Services Award (MA000084) and Gardening and Landscaping Services Award (MA000101) do not carry an all-purpose industry allowance of this kind.
The rates in the table above are the ordinary hourly casual rate. On construction sites under MA000020, the following allowances are added per shift and are not baked into the hourly rate:
Fares & Travel
$22.41
per day
Where the worker is required to travel to a construction site.
Meal Allowance (overtime)
$19.74
per occasion
When overtime is worked and no meal is provided by the employer.
Living Away from Home
$102.92
per day
Workers accommodated away from usual residence and not in camp accommodation.
The FWO pay guide for MA000020 publishes exact overtime columns — these are not simply the casual rate multiplied by 1.4 or 1.8, because the all-purpose industry allowance interacts with the loading calculation. The published figures for the two most common trade levels are:
Always verify overtime rates for your specific classification in the current FWO pay guide.
A casual labourer on an Australian construction site earns a minimum of $35.55/hr under the Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020], effective 2026-07-01. This rate is published by the Fair Work Ombudsman and already includes the 25% casual loading and the $1.77/hr all-purpose industry allowance. In addition, casual construction workers are entitled to a fares and travel allowance of $22.41/day on top of the hourly rate. This is the legal minimum floor — site enterprise agreements often pay higher. Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000020.
A casual carpenter in Australia earns a minimum of $39.03/hr under the Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020] at the Construction Worker Level 3 (CW3) classification, effective 2026-07-01. This includes the 25% casual loading and the $1.77/hr all-purpose industry allowance. A daily travel allowance of $22.41 is payable on top. The same $39.03/hr minimum applies to other CW3 trades: steel fixers, riggers, scaffolders, formworkers, concreters, painters, tilers and bricklayers. Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000020.
A casual electrician in Australia earns a minimum of $40.19/hr under the Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020] at the Construction Worker Level 4 (CW4) classification, effective 2026-07-01. The same rate applies to casual plumbers, boilermakers, welders and HVAC technicians at CW4. Overtime rates for the first two hours beyond ordinary time are $56.26/hr; after two hours, $72.34/hr (exact FWO published figures for CW4). Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000020.
A casual scaffolder in Australia must be paid at least $39.03/hr under the Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020] (CW3 classification), effective 2026-07-01. This is the legal minimum — employers cannot pay below it for workers engaged as casuals under this award. The rate includes the 25% casual loading and an all-purpose industry allowance of $1.77/hr. Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000020 — calculate.fairwork.gov.au/payguides/fairwork/ma000020/pdf.
A casual crane operator in Australia earns a minimum of $41.35/hr at MCE1 (entry-level) classification under the Mobile Crane Hiring Award [MA000032], effective 2026-07-01. Crane operators are covered by a separate award to most construction workers. The Mobile Crane Hiring Award also carries an all-purpose industry allowance ($1.68/hr) already included in the published rate. Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000032.
A casual forklift operator in Australia engaged under the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award [MA000010] at the C11 classification earns a minimum of $34.96/hr, effective 2026-07-01. This award does not include an all-purpose industry allowance in the hourly rate — the rate is the base rate plus the 25% casual loading. Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000010.
Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020], casual construction workers are entitled to the following allowances in addition to their ordinary hourly rate, effective 2026-07-01: Fares and travel allowance $22.41/day (where the worker must travel to a construction site); Meal allowance (overtime) $19.74/occasion (when overtime is worked and no meal is provided); Living away from home $102.92/day (when housed away from usual residence and not in camp accommodation). These are not included in the published casual hourly rates — they stack on top. Source: FWO Pay Guide, MA000020.
No. Award minimums are the legal floor — every casual worker engaged under the relevant modern award must receive at least the published Fair Work Ombudsman rate for their classification. The on-hire industry is specifically covered under the Building and Construction Award's on-hire provisions. A labour-hire firm must pay their casual workers at least these rates regardless of any commercial arrangement with the host employer.
Harrison Barratt Group places casual workers across construction, manufacturing, logistics and trades — all engaged at or above award minimums. We'll tell you the classification and rate we're paying your workers.