Sugar Industry Award
Industry award covering employers throughout Australia in the sugar industry - field (cane farming, harvesting, haulage, testing), milling, refinery, distillery, by-product manufacture, packaging, and bulk terminal operations. Excludes employers covered by the Manufacturing Award. Standard rate = C10/L6 = $28.12/hr = $1,068.40/wk. Distinctive features: SIX sectors mapped to THREE rate scales - field_sector (Cl 17 / Schedule A - CP/CHAU/CHAR/CT classifications, Sat/Sun ord 150%, single-contract hourly rate 115% in lieu of OT, pieceworker option +20%, distinctive shift loadings); milling_sector + distillery_sector + refinery_sector + maintenance_sector (Cl 19 / Schedule B - share C14-C6 rate scale per cl 19.1; mills disapply C14-C11 per cl 19.2); bulk_terminal_sector (Cl 21 / Schedule C / Part 6 - BT1-BT7 scale; any-time-outside-roster = OT 200%/250%; AL loading 25% vs 17.5% - DISTINCTIVE; redundancy scheme top-up 2.5 wks/yr per cl 42.4); crushing season = 26 weeks from first Monday of June each year (cl 2) drives shiftwork rules (40h/wk crushing, 38h slack) and seasonal employee deeming (cl 11.2); junior + apprentice rate scales DIFFER by sector; allowance lists sector-specific (~30+ wage-related milling allowances).
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 ~31 cl 17.1/19.1/21.1 classifications across 3 rate scales (PR786626 ppc 01Jul25): Field sector - CP/CHAU/CHAR/CT classifications (Cultivation/Cane Production CPT-CP2, Cane Haulage CHAUT-CHAU2, Cane Harvesting CHART-CHAR2, Cane Tester CT1-CT2); Milling/Distillery/Refinery/Maintenance - share C14-C6 rate scale (STANDARD RATE = C10 = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr); Bulk Terminal - BT1-BT7 scale.
- 6 AwardSector rows: field_sector, milling_sector, distillery_sector, refinery_sector, maintenance_sector, bulk_terminal_sector. Classifications scoped via sector_code; cl 19.2 disapplies C14-C11 in mills.
- Junior rate scales sector-specific: Field (cl 17.4) % of CP2, only Cultivation/Cane Production; Milling (cl 19.5) % of C14 with 4-step age table from <15 to 17; Bulk terminal - no junior rate scale.
- Apprentice rate scales sector-specific: Milling apprentices (cl 19.6/19.7) % of C10; Bulk terminal apprentices (cl 21.2/21.3) % of BT6; Field sector - no apprentices.
- ~40+ allowances scoped via sector_code: Field - 1 wage-related + 1 expense-related; Milling - ~30+ wage-related (hot work, height, confined spaces, asbestos, jackhammers, mill rollers, etc.) + tool + meal + vehicle; Bulk terminal - first aid + workplace coordinator + tool + meal + vehicle.
- Sector-scoped penalties: Field Sat/Sun 150% ord (cl 17 distinctive); Milling weekend 150% (cl 30.4(a) midnight Fri-Sun 150% - sugar milling shiftworkers only); Bulk terminal Sat OT 150% / Sun OT 200% shift loadings + any-time-outside-roster OT 200%/250%; OT 150%/200% standard split; bulk-terminal flat 200% OT; afternoon 112.5% (field) / 115% milling.
- **4 leave entitlements with sector-aware loading:** AL loading **25% bulk terminal (DISTINCTIVE) vs 17.5% other** sectors; AL excessive accrual standard set; AL in advance + cashout; personal/carer's, compassionate, parental, community service, FDV, LSL.
- 4 pay conditions: Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual (25% loading), Shiftworker (with crushing-season 40h/wk vs slack-season 38h/wk distinction).
- **Crushing season machinery (cl 2 + 11.2):** 26 weeks from first Monday of June each year. Drives shiftwork rules (40h/wk crushing, 38h slack) AND seasonal employee deeming - anyone engaged after first Mon of June and before next first Mon is deemed seasonal until that next first Mon.
- **Single-contract hourly rate (cl 17 field sector - DISTINCTIVE)** - 115% in lieu of OT, all-purpose. Pieceworker option +20% (cl 17 - field sector only).
- Cl 13A right to disconnect with reserve/stand-by carve-out.
- Default super funds (cl 28.4 substituted PR794779 ppc 23Jan26).
- **Redundancy scheme top-up (cl 42 varied PR794030 ppc 01Dec25) - DISTINCTIVE** - bulk terminal sector gets 2.5 wks/yr top-up over NES quantum.
- Pay frequency weekly or fortnightly. Termination 7 days. Standard NES termination notice tier.
- ~190 configuration entries including 6-sector mapping (3 rate scales - field CP/CHAU/CHAR/CT, milling/distillery/refinery/maintenance C14-C6, bulk terminal BT1-BT7), sector-scoped junior + apprentice rate scales, crushing season 26-week machinery + seasonal employee deeming logic, bulk-terminal 25% AL loading flag, bulk-terminal 2.5wk/yr redundancy top-up flag, single-contract 115% in lieu of OT flag (field), pieceworker +20% option (field), shift loadings sector-specific (afternoon 112.5% field / 115% milling), milling cl 19.2 C14-C11 disapply flag, midnight-Fri-Sun 150% milling-shiftworkers-only flag (cl 30.4(a)).
Known limitations
- Sector classification at engagement is mandatory - must route to one of 6 sectors. Pay structure, allowance set, junior/apprentice rate scales, AL loading, OT semantic, redundancy top-up all branch on sector.
- Bulk terminal AL loading 25% (vs 17.5% all other sectors) - resolver MUST check sector before applying loading.
- Bulk terminal redundancy scheme (cl 42.4) - 2.5 wks/yr top-up over NES quantum - applies to bulk_terminal_sector only.
- Crushing season machinery (cl 2 + 11.2): 26 weeks from first Monday of June each year. Resolver tracks calendar boundary, applies 40h/wk during crushing vs 38h/wk during slack, and deems seasonal employees engaged within the season.
- Field-sector single-contract hourly rate (cl 17) - 115% in lieu of OT all-purpose. Resolver substitutes for normal OT calc when single-contract option is in place.
- Field-sector pieceworker option (cl 17) - +20% on top of relevant base. Mutually exclusive with single-contract rate.
- Cl 19.2 disapplies C14-C11 in mills - milling apprentice/junior rates anchor to C10 per cl 19.6/19.7, NOT C14.
- Cl 30.4(a) midnight Fri-Sun 150% applies to sugar milling shiftworkers ONLY - resolver must check sector before applying weekend penalty.
- Junior + apprentice rate scales differ by sector (Field % of CP2, Milling % of C14 / C10 apprentices, Bulk terminal % of BT6 apprentices, no juniors). Resolver must look up the right anchor based on sector.
- Allowance set sector-specific - ~30+ wage-related milling allowances vs minimal field/bulk terminal sets. Resolver checks sector_code on each AwardAllowance row.
- Standard rate is C10/L6 = $28.12/hr = $1,068.40/wk (cl 2 def) - used as basis for all %-of-standard references regardless of sector.
Setup & special instructions
- Standard rate = C10/L6 = $28.12/hr = $1,068.40/wk (cl 2 def). Used as basis for all %-of-standard references regardless of sector.
- Crushing season (cl 2): 26 weeks starting from the first Monday of June each year. Calendar-driven boundary affects shiftwork hours and seasonal employee deeming.
- Sector classification mandatory - pay structure, OT, leave loading, redundancy top-up, junior/apprentice rates, allowance set all branch on sector.
- Bulk terminal AL loading 25% (cl distinct from cl 26 standard 17.5%). Resolver MUST check sector.
- Bulk terminal redundancy 2.5 wks/yr top-up (cl 42.4) over NES quantum.
- Field sector - single-contract hourly rate 115% in lieu of OT (cl 17) AND pieceworker option +20% (mutually exclusive). Sat/Sun ord 150% (distinct from typical Sat/Sun OT-only).
- Milling sector cl 19.2 disapplies C14-C11 - milling apprentice/junior anchor to C10 per cl 19.6/19.7.
- Cl 30.4(a) midnight Fri-Sun 150% - milling shiftworkers ONLY.
- Cl 28.4 super: default funds substituted PR794779 ppc 23Jan26. Plus stapled fund per ATO process / pre-12-Sep-2008 fund / defined-benefit fund.
- • Sugar industry
- • Cane farming
- • Cane harvesting
- • Cane haulage
- • Cane testing
- • Sugar milling
- • Sugar refining
- • Distillery (sugar)
- • Bulk sugar terminal
- • Sugar by-product manufacture
- • Sugar packaging
- • Cultivation
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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