The national minimum wage is A$26.44 per hour, or A$1,004.90 for a 38-hour week, from the first pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. It comes from a specialist website that is not official, which cites the Fair Work Commission decision. We could not check the official page, so this figure is still to be confirmed.
Another figure usually matters more: if your sector has an award, its rate applies. Those rates do come from the official texts.
A Home Affairs leaflet makes it clear: everyone has the same rights at work, whatever their nationality or visa.
What the awards pay
Adult rates, with the awards updated up to 1 July 2026. The casual column adds 25%. Apart from Level 1 horticulture, which the award publishes, it is our own calculation.
| Award | Category | Per hour | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| General hospitality and restaurants | Introductory | A$25.74 | A$32.18 |
| General hospitality and restaurants | Level 1 | A$26.44 | A$33.05 |
| General hospitality and restaurants | Level 2 | A$27.08 | A$33.85 |
| Horticulture | Level 1 | A$25.74 | A$32.18 |
| Horticulture | Level 2 | A$26.44 | A$33.05 |
| Construction | CW/ECW 1, level a | A$26.67 | A$33.34 |
There are more categories, and an enterprise agreement can set other conditions. For your own case there is the official calculator PACT. This table is only a reference.
Young workers: the restaurant award pays 70% at 18, 85% at 19 and 100% at 20. Other awards have their own scales.
What is casual, and what changes?
Casual means a job without guaranteed fixed hours. In return you are paid 25% more, according to the four awards we have read. According to the Fair Work Mate website, which is not official:
- Leave: no paid holidays or paid personal leave.
- Time off: 2 days of unpaid compassionate leave and 10 days a year of paid family and domestic violence leave.
- Moving to permanent: after 6 months, or 12 in a small business, with a regular pattern of hours, you can ask. The employer has 21 days to reply.
Shifts: minimums and breaks
- Minimum per shift, casual: 2 hours in a row in hospitality and restaurants, and 4 in construction.
- Full time: 38 hours a week on average in hospitality.
- Breaks in restaurants: from 5 to 10 hours of work, an unpaid break of at least 30 minutes. Over 10 hours, there are also two paid 20-minute rest breaks.
- If you are not given the break: the hospitality and restaurant awards pay an extra 50% until you have it or the shift ends.
Night, weekend and public holiday rates
Each award has its own table. This is the one for restaurants, as a percentage of the hourly rate. In the casual column, the percentage already includes the 25%.
| When | Full time or part time | Casual, Introductory to Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday, 6:00 am to 10:00 pm | 100% | 125% |
| Monday to Friday, 10:00 pm to midnight | 100% + A$2.95/h | 125% + A$2.95/h |
| Monday to Friday, midnight to 6:00 am | 100% + A$4.42/h | 125% + A$4.42/h |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 150% |
| Public holiday | 225% | 250% |
Example, our calculation: a Level 1 casual is paid 26.44 × 1.5 = A$39.66 per hour on a Saturday. On a public holiday, A$66.10. If they are a Level 3 casual or above, Sunday goes up to 175%.
It does not apply to everyone: in construction and horticulture the rules are different.
Basic rights
This comes from Study Australia, the federal government website. It is written for students, but it says the laws protect all workers:
- Payslip: on paper or digital, within one working day of payment.
- Payment in money: food or accommodation cannot replace wages.
- Giving wages back: they cannot ask you to hand back part of your pay in cash. If you already did, you have the right to get it back.
- Deductions: they cannot take off breakages, theft, customers who do not pay or till shortfalls.
- Retirement savings (super): the employer pays in for temporary residents who are entitled to it, and you may be able to get it back when you leave. More in Money and tax.
- Accidents: the employer has insurance that covers work injuries or illness.
- Safety and treatment: you have the right to a safe workplace, free of discrimination and harassment.
- Unfair dismissal: the deadline to apply to the Commission is 21 days from the dismissal.
- National minimums: there are 11, and awards are added on top of them.
It also says the ABN is, in general, for people who work for themselves. If you have a boss, the normal thing is to use your TFN.
Who to turn to
The Fair Work Ombudsman is the public body that oversees workplace laws. According to Study Australia:
- Cost and languages: it is free and helps in several languages.
- Anonymous report: made on this form.
- Your visa: the body does not check it, and your employer cannot cancel it. Only Home Affairs grants, refuses or cancels visas.
- If you broke your visa conditions: you can still ask for help. Under the Assurance Protocol, Home Affairs normally does not cancel the visa in those cases.
- Hours: it has a free app for recording them, Record My Hours, in 18 languages.
This guide gives general information. It is not legal or visa advice.
What we could not confirm
- National minimum wage: we could not check the Fair Work Ombudsman website or the Commission's. The figure comes from Fair Work Mate and matches Level 1 hospitality, but that does not confirm it. That website has inconsistent dates and cites changes to youth rates for 1 December 2026, unchecked.
- General hospitality loadings: we could not read its table.
- Unpaid trial shifts: we have not opened any source that answers this. You can ask the Fair Work Ombudsman.
- Fair Work Ombudsman phone number: it does not appear on the pages we opened, so we do not give it.
- Assurance Protocol: the page explains it for students. We have not confirmed how it applies with a Working Holiday visa.
- Western Australia: we have not confirmed whether these figures reach all private businesses in that state.
- List of the 11 minimums: we could not read the text of the law. We only give their number here.
Sources
All seen on 5 November 2026.
- Hospitality Industry (General) Award, MA000009, official, version up to 1 July 2026.
- Restaurant Industry Award, MA000119, official, version up to 1 July 2026.
- Horticulture Award, MA000028, official, version up to 1 July 2026.
- Building and Construction General On-site Award, MA000020, official, version up to 1 July 2026.
- Your work rights explained, Study Australia, official.
- Are your work rights at risk?, Study Australia, official.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Study Australia, official.
- Preparing for work, Study Australia, official.
- Work rights and responsibilities, Study Australia, official.
- FAQs for Japanese workers, Home Affairs, on the Embassy in Tokyo website, 30 September 2024, embassy.
- Minimum wage tool, Fair Work Mate, third party, says it was reviewed on 2 August 2026.
- Casual rights, Fair Work Mate, third party.