Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award
Industry award covering employers throughout Australia in the hydrocarbons industry (upstream) - exploration/drilling for hydrocarbons (on/offshore rigs), preparatory work, well servicing, decommissioning, extraction/separation/production/processing/piping/storage/distribution/transport of hydrocarbons, incidental services (clerical, warehousing, medical, laboratory, utility, platform, catering/cleaning/accommodation when employer-engaged in hydrocarbons, supply base), commissioning/maintenance/upgrade of facilities, and temporary labour. Excludes downstream refining/distribution and maritime/aviation/IT/professional roles. Single sector (hydrocarbons_upstream). 8 classifications (Entry Level + L1-L7), Standard rate = Level 3 = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr. Distinctive features: industry allowance $63.68/wk all-purpose BAKED INTO ordinary hourly rate (cl 2 def + cl 20.2(b)) - engine MUST add this BEFORE applying any penalty/OT multiplier; NO fallback super fund list (cl 22) - engine relies entirely on ATO stapled fund; cycle work pay condition (cl 13.4) for FIFO/DIDO/BIBO rosters with on-duty days capped at total cycle days × 0.714 (~71.4%); annualised wage (cl 18) and composite daily rate (cl 19 - prospecting/exploration drilling only) as explicit alternatives to standard wage + OT/penalty/AL loading; lay-up shutdown 1 week notice (cl 25.7) - vs standard 28-day; storms and cyclones stand-down up to 5 working days (cl 16.8); permanent night shift loading 130% (cl 24.3(b)) vs 115% standard; point of assembly travel time 4hrs each end of cycle baked into min rates.
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.
Official Fair Work rates. This award’s minimum pay rates are synced directly from the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database and updated automatically when the Commission changes them - including the annual wage review - so payroll always uses the current legal minimums without a manual update.
What's built
- All 8 cl 16.1 classifications across 4 streams (Schedule A.3 - hydrocarbons industry services, onshore drilling, offshore drilling, operations and processing) at PR786600 ppc 01Jul25 figures: Entry Level $954.90/wk → L3 $1,068.40/wk STANDARD RATE → L7 $1,300+/wk. Stored hourly is INFLATED by industry allowance + electrician's licence baked into ordinary rate.
- All cl 20 allowances: industry allowance $63.68/wk ALL-PURPOSE (cl 20.2(b) - baked into ord rate); electrician's licence $30.88/wk ALL-PURPOSE (also baked in); leading hand tiers; LAFH (living away from home) $64.10/day; meal/tool/standby allowances; **point of assembly travel time** (cl 20.4) - min rates include compensation for 4 hrs travelling time at start AND end of each work cycle, travel >4 hrs paid at ord rate up to 12 hrs each way.
- Penalty rows: shift afternoon/night 115%; **permanent night 130% (cl 24.3(b)) - DISTINCTIVE** vs 115% standard; Sat 150% first 3h / 200% after; Sun 200%; PH 250%; OT FT 150 first 2h / 200 after; OT casual 175/225 (loading-inclusive); OT continuous shift 200%; recall min hours; storms/cyclones stand-down (cl 16.8) - continued payment of min rate up to 5 working days.
- 8 leave entitlements: AL 4w day worker / 5w shiftworker (NES + cycle worker variant), 17.5% loading, excessive accrual 8w (10w shiftworker), AL in advance + cashout, **lay-up shutdown 1 week notice (cl 25.7) - DISTINCTIVE** vs standard 28-day shutdown notice; personal/carer's, compassionate, parental, community service, FDV, LSL.
- 4 pay conditions: Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual (25% loading), **Cycle Work (cl 13.4) - DISTINCTIVE** for FIFO/DIDO/BIBO rosters: total ord hrs ≤ 38 × (total days / 7), up to 12 consecutive ord hrs/day, on-duty days capped at total cycle days × 0.714 unless agreed.
- Cl 13A right to disconnect with reserve/stand-by carve-out.
- **Annualised wage (cl 18) and composite daily rate (cl 19) - DISTINCTIVE alternatives** to standard wage + OT/penalty/AL loading. Composite daily rate is for prospecting/exploration drilling only. Both have BOOT obligation + 12-month reconciliation + signed time records.
- **Accident pay 52-week workers comp top-up (cl 21)** - same pattern as Stevedoring + Sugar. Casual: avg ord hours over 12 months including loading.
- Cl 22 super: NO fallback default super fund list - only names defined benefit members (cl 22.1) + employer SG obligation (cl 22.2). New employees with no chosen/stapled fund have no award-named industry default. Engine relies entirely on ATO stapled fund.
- Pay frequency weekly or fortnightly. Termination 7 days. Standard NES termination notice tier (1/2/3/4 weeks).
- ~110 configuration entries including cycle work parameters (0.714 cap, 12hr/day max, 38h/wk equiv), lay-up shutdown 1-week, storm/cyclone stand-down 5 days, permanent night 130%, industry-allowance-baked-in flags, no-fallback-super-fund flag, annualised wage + composite daily rate alternatives.
Known limitations
- Industry allowance $63.68/wk is BAKED INTO `ordinary_hourly_rate` per cl 2 definition + cl 20.2(b). Engine MUST NOT add it again on top of penalty/OT multipliers.
- Electrician's licence $30.88/wk is also ALL-PURPOSE and baked into ordinary hourly rate. Same warning.
- NO fallback default super fund list (cl 22) - `default_super_funds=[]`. Customer must nominate a fallback if no stapled fund returned by ATO. Engine must NOT auto-pick.
- Cycle work (cl 13.4) - FIFO/DIDO/BIBO rosters require resolver to track total cycle days, on-duty days, and enforce the 0.714 cap (on-duty days ≤ total cycle days × 0.714 unless agreed). Total ord hrs over the cycle ≤ 38 × (total days / 7).
- Permanent night shift 130% (cl 24.3(b)): definition - night-only engagement OR more than 4 consecutive weeks night OR no rotation giving ≥1/3 working time off in shift cycle. Resolver needs runtime classification of night-shift type.
- Annualised wage (cl 18) and composite daily rate (cl 19): both have BOOT obligation + 12-month reconciliation + signed time records. Composite daily rate is restricted to prospecting/exploration drilling only.
- Lay-up shutdown 1 week notice (cl 25.7) - distinct from standard 28-day shutdown. Triggered when drilling rig cannot be usefully employed (repair/survey/maintenance/external cause). Allows employer to direct AL during lay-up.
- Storms and cyclones stand-down (cl 16.8): employer may demobilise/reassign/stand-down employees affected by unsafe weather. Continued payment of minimum rate for ord hours up to 5 working days.
- Point of assembly travel time (cl 20.4): min rates already include compensation for 4 hrs travelling time at start AND end of each work cycle. Travel >4 hrs paid at ord rate up to 12 hrs each way.
Setup & special instructions
- Standard rate = Level 3 = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr (cl 2 def). Used as basis for apprentice rate percentages and other %-of-standard references.
- Stored ordinary hourly rate is INFLATED by industry allowance + electrician's licence (where applicable). Combined inflation: industry $63.68/wk + electrician $30.88/wk = $94.56/wk = $2.49/hr added.
- Coverage excludes downstream refining/distribution and maritime/aviation/IT/professional roles. See cl 4 exclusions.
- Cycle work pay condition (cl 13.4) is the standard for FIFO/DIDO/BIBO rosters - route to it when employee is on cycle roster pattern.
- Annualised wage (cl 18) and composite daily rate (cl 19) - only use when explicit BOOT-tested individual agreement is in place with 12-month reconciliation.
- Cl 22 super: NO award-named fallback fund. Customer must nominate a fallback default fund for new employees with no stapled fund.
- Cl 25.7 lay-up shutdown 1 week notice - distinct from standard 28-day shutdown. Triggered by drilling rig conditions, not Christmas/New Year period.
- Cl 16.8 storm/cyclone stand-down - limited to 5 working days continued ord-rate payment. Beyond 5 days, employees revert to leave entitlements or unpaid stand-down.
- • Hydrocarbons
- • Oil and gas
- • Upstream oil and gas
- • Drilling
- • Onshore drilling
- • Offshore drilling
- • Well servicing
- • Hydrocarbon extraction
- • Hydrocarbon processing
- • FIFO
- • DIDO
- • BIBO
- • Rig operations
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.
Want to see this award running on your data?
We can demo a pay run on the hydrocarbons upstream award using sample employees in a sandbox tenant - including any of the special-instruction steps above so you can see exactly what your team's day-to-day looks like.
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