My Workplace  

Click here to view

The relevant industrial Award covering your employment and your wages and entitlements is the Horse and Greyhound Racing Award (2020). 

Minimum wages details and allowances are outlined in Clause 13. Employers will often use the relevant industrial award (i.e. the Award, see above) as a basis for your employment including wages and entitlements. The Award outlines what your minimum entitlements should be including your wages and benefits (e.g. amount of personal leave for sickness, caring, annual leave). 

Some employers may vary the Award by offering more generous wages or entitlements, however they cannot offer anything less than the minimums outlined in the Award unless special approval is granted by the relevant government department.

An Employer may change a number of the award provisions. However the Award is strict on what can be changed or varied by the Employer. Changes can be made to: 

(a) arrangements for when work is performed;

(b) overtime rates;

(c) penalty rates;

(d) allowances; and

(e) leave loading 

Should you feel your package of benefits is not as good as it would be under the Award (if nothing was varied), then you may have a case to raise with your Employer. Note that an Employee needs to agree to the varying these five (5) arrangements before they can be changed. It is best to get these variations in writing so both parties are clear on the changes. See the next section for who to ask if you have concerns relating to these items.

The Award outlines a number of minimum provisions and entitlements including: 

•  Wages 

•  Hours of Work 

•  Allowances (travel, meals, personal protective equipment etc) 

•  Leave Entitlements (personal/sick leave, annual leave etc) 

•  Accident Pay

•  Superannuation Default Funds 

•  Types of Employment (fulltime, part-time, casual etc) 

•  Dispute Handling

•  Termination Provisions

Your supervisor is a great place to start. You may request a copy of these and use as a reference when you have a question or query. Note they are often different at each workplace. Workplace policies are important, and all policies relating to employment at your workplace are expected to meet or exceed the minimum standards set down in legislation (e.g. Workplace Health and Safety). The legislation will apply where policies are inconsistent.

If you have any concerns, it may be best to speak with an independent specialist on industrial matters at the Fair Work Ombudsman: More information here on their website - www.fairwork.gov.au or phone 13 13 94 (8am – 5.30pm Mon – Fri). 

To assist you the Fair Work Ombudsman is likely to need documentation to assess your situation against the Award provisions. You may need to provide pay slips and any documents you received on commencement with your Employer.