Port Authorities Award
Industry award covering port operators (statutory or contractual right to manage/control a port + provide port services) and their employees in the cl 14 classifications, to the exclusion of any other modern award. Single sector (port_operator). Excludes Manufacturing Award and Electrical Contracting Award maintenance contractors (cl 4.3 — port operators retain coverage of in-house maintenance staff). 15 classification levels including specialist Marine Pilot tiers L13-L15 ($68.28-$74.89/hr) — substantially higher than general port-worker tiers (L1 = $24.28/hr). Standard rate = Level 4 = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr. Distinctive features: casual loading is ALL-PURPOSE (cl 11.2(c)) — UNUSUAL — penalty multipliers apply to casual_ordinary_hourly_rate which already includes 25%; Sat/Sun ordinary hours AT PENALTY RATES (Sat 150% / Sun 200% per cl 19.3/19.4) NOT just OT; PH ordinary 250% (cl 19.5); shiftworker AL loading 20% NOT 17.5% (cl 20.3); shiftworker AL 5 weeks (cl 20.2); afternoon shift 112.5% (cl 19.7(a)) — most awards 115%; afternoon-shift definition starts after 10am; 7 default super funds (broad list); L1 cannot be engaged for more than 6 months — built-in progression mechanism.
Fully built. Rates, allowances, penalties and any required apprentice / junior rates are all wired to the rate resolver and have been verified against the consolidated award text and the latest pay guide.
What's built
- All 15 cl 14 classification levels (PR786588 ppc 01Jul25): L1 $922.70/wk (entry, 6-month max) → L4 $1,068.40/wk STANDARD RATE → L12 $1,541.50/wk → Marine Pilot L13 $2,594.40/wk = $68.28/hr → L14 $2,727.30/wk → L15 $2,845.80/wk = $74.89/hr (Marine Pilot specialist tiers).
- All cl 17 allowances: electrician's licence allowance $48.61/wk ALL-PURPOSE (cl 17.2(b) — distinctive — only the electrician's licence is all-purpose); first aid $19.23/wk (cl 17.2(c)); tool allowance $17.90/wk for L4+ tradesperson (cl 17.3(c) — gated on classification); vehicle reimbursement $0.98/km (cl 17.3(a) — pre-approval required).
- Junior rates 75/85/100% of adult (cl 15.2 — under 17 / 17 / 18+).
- Apprentice rates (cl 15.3): pre-2014 45/55/75/88% of own classification; post-2014 50/60/75/88% (no Yr12) or 55/65/75/88% (Yr12) of L4 — whichever greater than pre-2014 own-classification. Adult apprentice (cl 15.3(d)/(e)): Y1 = 80% L4 OR cl 15.3(b)/(c) whichever greater; Y2+ = lowest adult classification (L1) OR cl 15.3(b)/(c) whichever greater. Continuity protection (cl 15.3(f)) — pre-apprenticeship FT 6mo or PT/casual 12mo retains pre-apprenticeship rate as floor.
- Penalty rows: OT Mon-Fri 150% first 3h / 200% after (cl 19.1); Sat ord ALL hours 150% (cl 19.3 — distinctive ord-at-penalty); Sat OT first 3h 150% / after 3h 200%; Sun ord ALL hours 200% (cl 19.4); PH ord 250% min 4h (cl 19.5 / 25.2); afternoon shift 112.5% (cl 19.7(a) — distinctive sub-115%); night shift 115% (cl 19.7(b)); recall to OT min 4 hours (cl 19.2); non-rostered shift premium 200% continuous / 150 first 3h then 200% other shift (cl 12.5(f) with 3 carve-outs per cl 12.5(g)).
- 7 leave entitlements: AL 4 weeks day worker / 5 weeks shiftworker (cl 20.2 — incl 7-day shiftworker AND permanent night), 17.5% loading day worker / 20% loading shiftworker (cl 20.3 — distinctive uplift), excessive accrual 8 weeks (10 weeks shiftworker per cl 20.5(a)), AL in advance / cashout (max 2 wks/yr, min 4 wks remaining), personal/carer's, compassionate, parental, community service, FDV, LSL.
- 4 pay conditions: Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual (25% loading per cl 11.2 — ALL-PURPOSE per cl 11.2(c), min 2 consecutive hours per cl 11.4, casual ord max 38h/wk per cl 11.1 — same cap as FT), Shiftworker (with continuous + non-continuous variants).
- Three worker types with distinct ordinary-hours rules: Day Workers (cl 12.2 — 38h/wk avg, max 608h/16 weeks, spread 6am-7pm); Continuous Shiftworkers (cl 12.3 — 24/7 operation, 12hr shifts allowed); Non-Continuous Shiftworkers (cl 12.4 — 12hr shifts allowed). Sat/Sun ordinary by agreement (cl 12.2(b)).
- 12-hour shifts by majority agreement (cl 12.5(e)) — requires health monitoring + suitable rosters + proper supervision + adequate breaks + trial/review process.
- Cl 13A right to disconnect with reserve/stand-by carve-out.
- 7 default super funds (cl 18.4 substituted PR794747 ppc 23Jan26): Aware Super, Australian Retirement Trust, CareSuper, Equipsuper, HOSTPLUS, AMP Super Fund, AustralianSuper. Plus pre-12-Sep-2008 fund / defined-benefit fund.
- Pay frequency weekly or fortnightly (cl 16.1). Cash or EFT (cl 16.2). Termination 7 days (cl 16.3).
- Standard NES termination notice (cl 29.1): <1y=1wk, 1-3y=2wk, 3-5y=3wk, >5y=4wk. NO over-45 extra week. Max 1 wk deduction if employee 18+ fails to give notice.
- Job search 1 day on termination (cl 29.2); 1 day per week of redundancy notice (cl 30.x).
- ~165 configuration entries (post v2 audit 2026-05-04 round 2) covering 8-item facilitative provisions registry, 7 default super funds + stapled/pre-2008/defined-benefit, dispute NES references (s.65B/66M/76B/333N), consultation significant-effects, full IFA set, casual all-purpose flag (distinctive), Sat/Sun/PH ord-at-penalty flags, 13 cl 2 definitions captured (afternoon/night shift start times, port operator, port services, shiftworker, ord+casual ord hourly rate inclusive flags, all-purpose), Schedule C CPI basis, work-cycle 3-month cap, non-rostered shift exclusions, continuous-shiftwork definition components, 12-hour shift conditions, NTW source MA000104, redundancy job-search detail.
Known limitations
- Casual loading is ALL-PURPOSE (cl 11.2(c)) — penalty multipliers apply to (base × 1.25) — additive stacking, NOT substitution. Resolver must NOT re-add casual loading after applying penalty multipliers. Casual base must include all-purpose allowances (e.g. electrician's $48.61/wk) BEFORE the 25% loading is applied.
- Sat/Sun ordinary hours are AT PENALTY RATES (Sat 150% / Sun 200% per cl 19.3/19.4) — distinct from typical 'Sat/Sun OT only' awards. Resolver applies these even to non-OT hours on weekend. Sat OT split (first 3h 150% / after 3h 200%) applies only to OT hours after the ordinary cap.
- PH 250% min 4 hours applies to BOTH ordinary AND overtime worked on PH (cl 19.5 / 25.2).
- Shiftworker AL loading is 20% (cl 20.3) — distinct from day-worker 17.5%. Resolver must check pay condition before applying loading.
- Shiftworker AL 5 weeks (cl 20.2) — 7-day shiftworker OR permanent night shiftworker = +1 week vs NES base.
- Afternoon shift 112.5% (cl 19.7(a)) — DISTINCTIVE sub-115% loading. Most awards use 115%.
- Afternoon shift definition (cl 2): commences AFTER 10am AND BEFORE 8pm. Distinctive late-start gating.
- Night shift definition (cl 2): commences AT OR AFTER 8pm AND BEFORE 5am.
- Tool allowance L4+ only — $17.90/wk gated on classification ≥ L4 (Standard Rate). Resolver checks classification before applying.
- Three worker types — route to Day Worker / Continuous Shiftworker / Non-Continuous Shiftworker pay condition based on roster pattern. Continuous shiftworker definition: 24/7 operation + each day in the week + no interruption except breakdown/unavoidable causes.
- Higher duties for ANY shift or day (cl 15.6) — even single shift at higher classification triggers higher rate. Most awards require longer threshold.
- L1 6-month cap (Schedule A.1) — cannot remain at L1 for more than 6 months. Built-in progression mechanism — resolver should flag for promotion.
- Marine Pilot tiers (L13/L14/L15) — likely tied to pilot certification level. Substantially higher rates ($68-$74/hr) than general port-worker tiers.
- Non-rostered shift premium (cl 12.5(f)) — 200% continuous / 150 first 3h then 200% other shift. EXCLUDED for: employee swap arrangements, customary rotation, short-notice transfer per s.524 (cl 12.5(g)).
Setup & special instructions
- Standard rate = Level 4 = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr (cl 2 def). Used as the basis for adult-apprentice 80% rule and other %-of-standard references.
- Coverage excludes Manufacturing Award and Electrical Contracting Award maintenance contractors (cl 4.3) — port operators retain coverage of in-house maintenance staff.
- Casual ordinary hourly rate (cl 2 definition) is explicitly inclusive of casual loading AND all-purpose allowances; payable for ALL purposes. When employee is electrician + casual: casual_ordinary_hourly_rate = (base + electrician's allowance $48.61/wk) × 1.25.
- Day worker work cycle max 3 months (cl 12.5(d)(ii)) — distinctive cap.
- Daylight saving (cl 12.6): pay per CLOCK time (not adjusted time).
- Make-up time (cl 12.7) — employee may elect with employer consent. Shiftwork at shift rate.
- Apprentice block release (cl 15.4) — overnight stay travel reimbursed; closer-RTO disagreement excluded; textbook reimbursement within 6mo of apprenticeship/3mo of RTO start; employer can pay RTO directly; no OT/shiftwork blocking training.
- Casual min 2 consecutive hours (cl 11.4) — distinctive lower than typical 3h/4h minimums.
- Cl 18.4 super: 7 default funds (broad list). Plus pre-12-Sep-2008 fund / defined-benefit fund. Stapled fund per ATO process applies.
- PH compensation 250% min 4h (cl 25.2). NES standard PH/personal/compassionate/parental/community service/FDV — no award additions.
- • Port operations
- • Port authority
- • Marine pilot
- • Harbour
- • Wharf operations
- • Stevedoring (port-side)
- • Cargo handling
- • Vessel mooring
- • Channel marking
- • Dredging (port)
- • Port security
- • Port services
- • Maritime infrastructure
The consolidated award text is the authoritative source. Always confirm specific obligations against the award itself — Mployr's implementation status reflects what we've seeded; it does not replace legal advice.
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