It’s time to roll up our sleeves and dive into some crucial changes coming our way. As your trusted partners in the ever-evolving landscape of Australian agriculture, we at The Lucas Group are here to guide you through the latest updates to the Pastoral and Horticultural Awards.
What Agribusinesses Need to Know
As of 1 April 2025, our industry awards are being shook up. The updates to the Horticulture Award and Pastoral Award affect definitions, minimum pay rates, and classification structures. Now, we know changes to the awards can be a tall order, but The Lucas Group is ready to help you navigate these changes and make sure your agribusiness stays on track.
Key Changes to Both Awards
Both the Pastoral and Horticultural Awards are getting a facelift. Here’s the lay of the land:
- Both awards now include specific time constraints for introductory-level positions, affecting how long employees can remain in these roles.
- Entry-level roles are seeing changes in both their definitions and pay rates.
Horticulture Award Updates
The Horticulture Award has seen the introduction of new indicative tasks for Level 2 employees. This change provides clearer guidance on the responsibilities and expectations for workers at this classification level.
From 1 April 2025, the indicative duties for Level 2 employees include some of the duties that previously applied only to Level 1 employees. The duties are:
- performing general labouring duties
- fruit or vegetable picking, thinning or pruning
- operating small towing tractor engaged in transfer of produce bins and other containers during harvest
- performing a range of housekeeping tasks in premises and grounds
- performing basic recording functions related to work performed at this level.
There are also new entry-level time constraints. Level 1 employees will now progress to Level 2 within their first 3 months in the industry.
Pastoral Award Updates
Several important updates have been made to the Pastoral Award. Firstly, Piggery Attendant Level 2 employees will see changes to their minimum pay rates. Additionally, the award now includes new ongoing classifications for:
- Station hands
- Station cooks
- Station cook’s offsiders
With the new classifications come new time constraints for farm hands, piggery attendants and poultry farm workers (FLH1, FLH2, PA1 and PW2).
- Farm hand level 1’s will now be capped at 6 months’ experience, and level 2s will be 6-12 months.
- Piggery attendants level 1 will now also be reclassified to Level 2 within 3 months. This means that anyone with more than 3 months experience will need to be classified as PA2.
- Poultry farm worker level 1 will have less than 6 months’ experience in the industry, moving to level 2 after their initial 6 months.
Your Action Plan
To ensure compliance and avoid potential penalties, we strongly recommend that all agribusinesses take the following steps:
- Review your current setup. Are your classifications, pay rates, and allowances up to scratch?
- Dust off those policy manuals and bring them in line with the new rules.
- Your team needs to know what’s happening. Clear communication is key, just like in any good muster.
Staying on top of these changes isn’t just about dodging fines (though that’s important too). It’s about showing your team and the industry that you’re an employer of choice who values your team.
Contact The Lucas Group today to discuss how these award changes may impact your business and to develop a strategy for seamless implementation.
Sources: Pastoral Award 2020 [MA000035], Horticulture Award 2020 [MA000028], Fair Work Ombudsman
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