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What painterscost through Australian labour hire — the Fair Work published casual pay rate, the indicative charge rate range, penalty rates, and how the numbers move by state. Backed by HBG's placement data across 860+ sites.
Applicable award: Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020).
Every figure below is either verbatim from a Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide (casual pay + allowances) or an indicative range derived from HBG's observation across 860++ project sites (charge-rate range + penalty illustrations).
Casual pay rate
$39.03/hr
CW3 — Fair Work published
Charge rate range
$64-$88/hr
Straight-time weekday, indicative
Typical margin
39-56%
Covers on-costs + agency margin
Super rate
12%
Included in charge rate
Illustrative charge rates applying standard Building & Construction penalty multipliers to the mid-point of the painter charge range ($76/hr). Actual rates vary by state, project, and award — always confirm against the applicable Fair Work Modern Award.
| Shift | Multiplier | Illustrative Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday ordinary | 1.0x | $76/hr |
| Saturday (first 2h) | 1.5x | $114/hr |
| Saturday (after 2h) | 2.0x | $152/hr |
| Sunday (all hours) | 2.0x | $152/hr |
| Public holiday | 2.5x | $190/hr |
Allowances that stack on the shift under the Building and Construction General On-site Award — read verbatim from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide, effective 2026-07-01.
Fares & travel
$22.41
Per day
Meal (overtime)
$19.74
Per overtime meal break (after 9.5h)
First aid
$6.38
Per day, if nominated first-aider
Indicative painter charge rate ranges by state. State positioning reflects observable market dispersion — WA/NSW metro sit above the national midpoint on premium commercial sites; VIC/QLD track closer to baseline. The award pay floor ($39.03/hr) is a national figure — state variation applies to the CHARGE side.
NSW
$64-$101/hr
Sydney metro sits at the top of the national range — commercial-tier CBD sites, high site-allowance load.
VIC
$61-$97/hr
Melbourne metro tracks near the national midpoint — competitive residential + civil market.
QLD
$61-$97/hr
Brisbane / SEQ tracks the midpoint — regional QLD (mining-adjacent) skews higher.
WA
$67-$110/hr
Perth metro + mining-adjacent projects sit at the high end of the national range.
Ranges are indicative and vary by project, tickets held, and site allowances. Rates vary by state, project, and induction requirements — quoted rates are indicative.
The tickets HBG verifies before deploying a painter. Every qualification is checked against the relevant state regulator database — expired or unverifiable credentials are not deployed.
A painterlabour-hire charge rate isn't a single number pulled from a rate card — it's the sum of a legally-set floor, a set of award-defined stackable allowances, and employer on-costs that a direct-hire employer would carry themselves. Understanding the pipeline explains why the range on this page moves between projects.
Two painters on the same award classification can land on materially different charge rates depending on WHEN they work and WHERE they work. The moves below are cumulative — they stack rather than replace each other.
Ordinary hours under most modern awards run 06:00-18:00 Monday to Friday. Work outside that window picks up shift loadings (typically 15% afternoon / 15%-30% night) plus penalty rates once the day-type trigger is crossed. Long shifts over 10 hours stack overtime on top — first two hours at 150%, thereafter at 200%.
Construction sites over three storeys, projects requiring a White Card as a legal minimum, and infrastructure work adjacent to live-electrical / working over water / asbestos remediation attract site allowances that stack every shift. Working at Heights and EWP tickets are almost always required on tier-1 commercial jobs.
Painters holding a state-licensed painter's licence (NSW / QLD residential work above the state threshold), plus EWP and spray-paint solvent-handling accreditation, sit at the top of the CW3 range. Shop-fit and heritage-restoration specialists command a premium.
Metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth sit at or above the national mid-point on premium commercial jobs. Regional QLD (mining-adjacent) and regional WA (Pilbara / Kalgoorlie) can move UP relative to national mid-point on infrastructure and resources work; regional VIC and regional NSW typically sit at or below the national mid-point.
Shifts over 12 hours stack overtime (150% first 2h / 200% after) and may trigger fatigue-management obligations under the applicable award. Overnight callouts frequently attract a minimum 4-hour engagement, and meal allowances kick in after 9.5h under MA000020 ($19.74/meal).
Tier-1 commercial fit-out and heritage restoration sit at the top of the range. Residential renovations and second-tier civil painting sit closer to the mid range.
Three illustrative charge-rate calculations for a painter, taking the FWO published casual pay floor ($39.03/hr) up through the on-cost pipeline and out to an indicative charge. These are illustrative examples, not a rate card — actual quotes are scoped to your site location, tickets required, and induction load.
All figures illustrative and derived from the charge-range midpoint — actual charge rates depend on state, site classification, tickets held, induction load, and volume. HBG's per-project quote is defensible to every line above.
MA000020
Building and Construction General On-site Award
Painter pay rates in Australia are set under Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), administered by the Fair Work Commission. The award defines minimum hourly rates for each classification level plus overtime, weekend, and public holiday penalty rates. Rates are reviewed annually as part of the Annual Wage Review and take effect from 1 July each year. The published casual rate INCLUDES the all-purpose industry allowance ($1.77/hr) baked in.
Rate accuracy & compliance. Casual pay rates on this page are read directly from the Fair Work Ombudsman published pay guide for MA000020, effective from 1 July 2026 (verified 2026-07-08). Charge rate ranges are INDICATIVE only — they reflect observable market dispersion across HBG's placement data plus published labour-hire benchmarks, and are not a rate card. Every quote HBG issues is scoped to the actual project location, tickets required, shift pattern, and induction load, and is defensible against the on-cost pipeline described above. Nothing on this page constitutes legal, financial, or industrial relations advice — always verify the applicable award and any specific allowances against the Fair Work Ombudsman before entering a labour-hire engagement. HBG operates under Australian labour hire licensing where applicable and maintains full public liability, professional indemnity, and workers compensation cover across every state we operate in.
The ranges on this page are indicative. Get a defensible rate card scoped to your project location, tickets, and site allowances.