Emie WangThe Local Government Industry Award 2020 (MA000112) sets the minimum pay rates, working conditions, and entitlements for employees across Australia's local government sector. Whether you work in community services, waste management, parks and recreation, local law enforcement, or council administration, this award directly shapes your take-home pay, leave rights, redundancy entitlements, and superannuation. Understanding what you are owed — and how to calculate it — is the foundation of informed employment.
What the Local Government Industry Award 2020 Covers
The award covers employees engaged in all activities undertaken by local government entities operating within the national Fair Work system. This includes:
- Community services — family support, welfare, employment assistance, housing, aged care, youth services, arts and events
- Waste and environmental services — garbage collection, recycling, street sweeping, sanitary services
- Local law enforcement — by-law officers, rangers, parking inspectors, community safety officers
- Recreation and leisure — leisure centres, swimming pools, sports centres, libraries
- Tourism and heritage — visitor information centres, guided tours, heritage sites
- Labour-on-hire employers and group training organisations placing workers in local government roles
The award is a federal instrument under the national Fair Work system. It applies to most local government workers in Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, and the Northern Territory. However, local government employees in New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia fall under their respective state industrial systems and are not covered by this federal award — they have separate state instruments.
Exclusions from coverage include: chief executive officers, nurses (covered by the Nurses Award 2020), medical practitioners, university-qualified early childhood teachers, and employees covered by an enterprise agreement.
Pay Structure and Classification Levels (2025-26)
The award uses an 11-level classification structure. Employees must be informed in writing of their classification level on commencement and whenever their classification changes. The following rates apply from 1 July 2025 following the 2024-25 Annual Wage Review:
| Level | Weekly Rate (AUD) | Hourly Rate (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $983.40 | $25.88 |
| Level 2 | $1,014.70 | $26.70 |
| Level 3 | $1,053.00 | $27.71 |
| Level 4 | $1,068.40 | $28.12 |
| Level 5 | $1,135.50 | $29.88 |
| Level 6 | $1,228.80 | $32.34 |
| Level 7 | $1,250.10 | $32.90 |
| Level 8 | $1,350.80 | $35.55 |
| Level 9 | $1,445.10 | $38.03 |
| Level 10 | $1,579.40 | $41.56 |
| Level 11 | $1,781.00 | $46.87 |
All rates are based on a standard 38-hour ordinary working week. Part-time employees receive the same hourly rate on a pro-rata basis. Junior employees and apprentices are paid at percentages of the applicable adult rate — refer to the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guide for the full junior and apprentice rate tables.
Working Hours, Overtime, and Penalty Rates
Standard ordinary hours are 38 per week, typically spanning 6:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday. Extended spans apply for waste services and community services roles (5:00 am to 10:00 pm).
Overtime rates:
- First two hours of overtime: 150% of the ordinary hourly rate
- Thereafter: 200%
- Overtime on Saturday from noon onwards and all Sunday overtime: 200%
Penalty rates for work outside the standard span:
- Weekday work outside 6:00 am–6:00 pm: 120%
- Saturday: 150%
- Sunday: 175%
- Public holidays: 250%
Exception for recreation centres and community services: Employees at leisure facilities may work Saturday and Sunday between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm at ordinary rates with no penalty loading — instead, they may receive a rostered day off (RDO) arrangement.
Casual loading: Casual employees are paid a 25% loading on top of their base hourly rate in lieu of leave and other permanent-employee entitlements. Overtime and penalty rates for casual employees are calculated on the base rate before applying the casual loading.
Minimum engagement for casuals: 2 consecutive hours per engagement.
Call-back minimum: Employees called back to work after leaving the premises are entitled to a minimum of 3 hours at overtime rates.
Leading hand allowances (from 1 July 2025):
- Supervising 1–5 employees: AUD $30.93/week
- Supervising 6–15 employees: AUD $42.18/week
- Supervising 15+ employees: AUD $53.43/week
On-call allowances: AUD $28.12/day (Monday–Friday), AUD $42.18/day (Saturday), AUD $56.24/day (Sunday or public holiday). When called back, the 3-hour minimum overtime guarantee applies.
Annual Leave
Under the National Employment Standards (NES) and the award, full-time employees are entitled to 4 weeks (20 days) of paid annual leave per year (Fair Work Act 2009, s.87).
Shiftworkers who are rostered to work on Sundays and public holidays are entitled to 5 weeks of paid annual leave per year under the NES.
Annual leave loading: The award (clause 23.4) provides an annual leave loading of 17.5% of the employee's minimum weekly rate of pay for their classification. This loading is paid in addition to regular pay when annual leave is taken.
Accrual: Annual leave accrues progressively during the year and accumulates if not taken. Part-time employees accrue leave on a pro-rata basis reflecting their contracted hours.
Cashing out: Annual leave may be cashed out by written agreement, provided the employee retains at least 4 weeks of accrued leave after the cashing out, and is paid at the full amount that would have been payable had the leave been taken.
Notice Period
Notice requirements under this award are based on the NES minimum (Fair Work Act 2009, s.117) — the award does not provide a longer notice period above the statutory scale.
NES notice scale (employer dismissing an employee):
| Years of continuous service | Minimum notice |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 1 week |
| 1 year up to 3 years | 2 weeks |
| 3 years up to 5 years | 3 weeks |
| 5 years or more | 4 weeks |
| Over 45 years of age with 2+ years service | Add 1 extra week |
Employee resignation: The same NES scale applies (minimum 1 week after 1 year of service). Failure to give notice may allow the employer to deduct from any final payments up to the value of the notice not given.
Payment in lieu of notice is permissible — the employer may pay out the notice period rather than require the employee to work it.
Redundancy Pay
The award (clause 33) incorporates the NES genuine redundancy scale (Fair Work Act 2009, Schedule 4, s.119). There is no award-specific enhancement above the NES minimum.
NES redundancy pay table:
| Years of continuous service | Weeks of pay |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 4 weeks |
| 2 years | 6 weeks |
| 3 years | 7 weeks |
| 4 years | 8 weeks |
| 5 years | 10 weeks |
| 6 years | 11 weeks |
| 7 years | 13 weeks |
| 8 years | 14 weeks |
| 9 years | 16 weeks |
| 10 years or more | 12 weeks (capped) |
The 10-year cap reflects that long-service leave entitlements are expected to offset additional redundancy obligations.
Small business exemption: Employers with fewer than 15 employees are exempt from paying NES redundancy pay under s.123 of the Fair Work Act 2009.
Job search entitlement: An employee notified of redundancy is entitled to up to one paid day per week during the notice period to seek alternative employment.
Tax treatment of redundancy pay: Genuine redundancy payments receive concessional tax treatment — a tax-free component applies up to the statutory formula (base amount $12,524 plus $6,264 per completed year of service for 2025-26), with the excess taxed as an Eligible Termination Payment (ETP).
Superannuation
The award (clause 20.2) requires employers to contribute at a level sufficient to avoid the Superannuation Guarantee Charge. The current Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate is 12.0% of ordinary time earnings, effective from 1 July 2025 (Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992).
Choice of fund: Employees have the right to choose their own superannuation fund under the Fair Work Act 2009, s.149A. If an employee does not nominate a fund, the employer must contribute to the default fund specified in the award (eligible funds include Vision Super, Aware Super, and AustralianSuper, among others).
Important note for state-based local government: Some local government workers may be in state-defined benefit super schemes (such as those operated in Victoria or other jurisdictions). These schemes follow different contribution and benefit rules — contact your employer or superannuation fund for details.
State and Territory Variations
While the Local Government Industry Award 2020 is a federal instrument (the same pay rates and conditions apply wherever it operates), several important entitlements vary by state and territory:
Long service leave is governed by state and territory law, not the Fair Work Act. Qualifying periods and entitlements differ:
| State/Territory | Qualifying period | Entitlement | Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 10 years | 8.667 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) |
| VIC | 7 years | 6.067 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 2018 (VIC) |
| QLD | 10 years | 8.667 weeks | Industrial Relations Act 2016 (QLD) |
| SA | 10 years | 13 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA) |
| WA | 10 years | 8.667 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) |
| TAS | 10 years | 8.667 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 1976 (TAS) |
| ACT | 7 years | 6.067 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT) |
| NT | 10 years | 13 weeks | Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) |
Use the Long Service Leave tab in the calculator above to check your entitlement by state.
Public holidays: Federal public holidays (New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, ANZAC Day, King's Birthday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day) apply nationally. Additional state-specific public holidays include Melbourne Cup Day (VIC), EKKA Show Day (QLD), Adelaide Cup (SA), Foundation Day (WA), and Eight Hours Day (TAS).
Workers compensation is administered by state and territory schemes (icare in NSW, WorkSafe in VIC, WorkCover in QLD). Premiums, entitlements, and dispute processes differ by jurisdiction.
Jurisdictional coverage reminder: If you work in local government in NSW, QLD, or SA, you are most likely covered by your state's industrial system, not this federal award. Contact your union or the relevant state industrial relations authority to confirm your applicable instrument.
Your Rights at Work
Unfair dismissal: Employees covered by the award who have completed the minimum employment period (6 months for regular employers; 12 months for small businesses) can apply to the Fair Work Commission for an unfair dismissal remedy under Fair Work Act 2009, s.382.
General protections: The Fair Work Act 2009 (Part 3-1) prohibits adverse action against an employee for exercising a workplace right — including taking leave, raising a complaint, or participating in union activities.
Right of entry: Union officials (ASU, AWU, and other registered unions) have rights to enter workplaces to hold discussions with members and inspect records, in accordance with Fair Work Act 2009, Part 3-4.
Workplace health and safety: The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state WHS laws apply to local government workplaces. Councils have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment.
Disputes: Disputes about the award can be raised with the Fair Work Commission or the Fair Work Ombudsman. Employees can also contact their union for assistance.
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Pay rates are indicative based on the Local Government Industry Award 2020 (MA000112) as in force in 2025-26. For questions about your specific employment situation, contact your union, the Fair Work Ombudsman (1300 724 690) or a qualified employment lawyer.
