Award Pay Rates Legal Advice | McDonald Murholme

Awards or Modern Awards are legal documents that outline the minimum award rates (or pay rates), and conditions of employment for specific industries. Modern Awards apply to employers and employees and depend on the specific industry and the position that the employee fulfils. All Modern Awards contain a coverage and classification clause which assist employees in determining which Modern Award applies to them.

Every year on 1 July, the minimum award rate increases. These minimum award rates vary between the type of worker and age of the worker. For example, casual workers are paid a casual loading which compensates for the fact that they do not receive additional employment entitlements (such as annual and personal leave), and adult employees have a higher minimum award rate than juniors.

The minimum award rate that an employee is entitled to will depend on their classification. In some instances, the classification/job title that an employee is provided within their contract does not reflect the actual requirements of their role. If an employee has been wrongly classified and as a result, has been underpaid, the employee can claim underpayment of wages up to 6 years from the date the underpayment took place.

If you believe that you have been wrongly classified or underpaid, you should seek legal assistance.

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Frequently asked award rates questions

How do I know if I am covered by a Modern Award?

All Modern Awards contain a coverage and classification clause which assist employees in determining which Modern Award applies (or does not apply) to them.

I do not know which classification I fall under. What should I do?

To assist in classifying your employment, you can list the duties that you are responsible for at work to assess which classification is the best fit. If you are still unable to ascertain a classification, you should seek legal assistance or further assistance from an expert within your industry.

My employer is not paying me the minimum award rate. What can I do?

If you think that your employer is underpaying you, you should discuss this with your employer. If you feel uncomfortable or the employer refuses to pay you the minimum award rate, you should seek legal assistance. An employee can claim underpayment of wages up to 6 years from the date the underpayment took place.

My employer pays more than the minimum award rate.

An employment contract or agreement may pay more than the minimum award rate, and it is only unlawful if the employer pays less than the minimum award rate.

Wrongfully classified or underpaid?

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The staff at McDonald Murholme are exemplary! From the moment you walk into their beautiful office, to the warm, friendly, courteous receptionists, you get the feeling that you will be given exemplary and outstanding legal service and representation. Stephanie was amazing and provided me with outstanding legal advice and direction. Stephanie's professional and calming demeanour allowed me to feel confident that my legal matter would be resolved in the most professional manner! She ensured communication was clear, concise and was always available when needed. I highly recommend McDonald Murholme, and especially Stephanie!

Jerome Conway

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If you’re made redundant reach out to McDonald Murholme for advice, you have 21 days to seek help. I have been very happy to have them on my side and it helps enormously to right any wrong doing in the workplace and give you support through what is a tough experience for anyone. Thank you to the team at Mc Donald Murholme, I have greatly appreciated your professional legal advice & support. I highly recommend their services to anyone who finds themselves redundant, unfortunately all to common in the current workplace.

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Deb Hallmark
The people I dealt with at McDonald Murholme were all top-notch professionals who were knowledgeable, prompt, courteous, and supportive through what could have been a… more

The people I dealt with at McDonald Murholme were all top-notch professionals who were knowledgeable, prompt, courteous, and supportive through what could have been a harrowing experience. I have nothing but praise for Alan, Alisha, and Amanda - and Natasha who patiently took copious notes about my situation! I have no hesitation in recommending this firm for legal matters around employment. I am particularly thankful to Amanda Greig who explained my options fully, and negotiated skillfully on my behalf. Thanks team.

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I was very impressed with the high level of service that was provided by the team at McDonald Murholme Solicitors. A high level of professionalism was shown at all times whilst dealing with the team. Thanks to the hard work of Stephanie Hallas I was able to reach a very good outcome with my redundancy, and I'd highly recommend using their services.

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Brendon Atkinson
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Tania

Tania
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Amanda and the team at McDonald Murholme were incredibly kind, patient and generous with their time regarding my situation. I am incredibly grateful for their service and advice and would highly recommend them to anybody in need of workplace legal services. Amanda in particular is a certified legend!

Matthew Iozzi

Matthew Iozzi
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Stephanie has been amazing to deal with! She was able to quickly get on top of the issues behind a fairly complicated Fair Work small claims action, then patiently work with me whilst I prepared my claim and my response to the employer, offering guidance and suggestions along the way. Thanks to you Stephanie and the team at McDonald Murholme for your help and assistance!

Michael Barrett

Michael Barrett
My need for support from McDonald Murholme came at a time when I was also focussing on a couple of other personal issues - both… more

My need for support from McDonald Murholme came at a time when I was also focussing on a couple of other personal issues - both significant but unrelated. The support I received from Alan, Stephanie and the team was incredible - I felt supported at every step of the process and was 100% confident that the matter was being dealt with effectively whilst I addressed other things. Most importantly, however, the team were easy to talk to and kept me fully up to date with progress. Hopefully I'll not have a need to use them again but, if I do, I absolutely would NOT hesitate! Last thing for me to say - THANK YOU McDonald Murholme!

PJ Metcalf

PJ Metcalf
Outstanding lawyers! I contacted McDonald Murholme to review some legal documents. The team there were super supportive, explained everything, where fully upfront about pricing and… more

Outstanding lawyers! I contacted McDonald Murholme to review some legal documents. The team there were super supportive, explained everything, where fully upfront about pricing and different legal options that I had. Their team worked quickly and I was really blow away by their thoroughness, thoughtfulness, dedication, and professionalism. They helped me get a way better outcome than I would have had without seeking their help. Can't speak highly enough about my experience.

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“The McDonald Murholme staff made me feel so comfortable, they provided me with great advice and helped me reach an outcome that I was very happy with.”

Sophie Thomson

Sophie Thomson
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“Thank you, Edward, Alan and the team. Your support throughout the journey was outstanding. I cannot recommend you enough. I could not be happier. Thank you again.”

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“Alan and Stephanie were able to turn my workplace nightmare into a financially rewarding experience that I would never have been able to achieve without their knowledge and assistance. I am so grateful for the exit strategy they managed to negotiate for me to enable me to move on to a much better opportunity. Huge thanks to all the team at McDonald Murholme for the great work you all do.”

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“Alan, Ned and the team at McDonald Murholme took a genuine interest in my situation. Their advice and guidance helped me quickly achieve a fair settlement from my employer.”

Anonymous

Anonymous
“My need for support from McDonald Murholme came at a time when I was also focussing on a couple of other personal issues - both… more

“My need for support from McDonald Murholme came at a time when I was also focussing on a couple of other personal issues - both significant but unrelated. The support I received from Alan, Stephanie and the team was incredible - I felt supported at every step of the process and was 100% confident that the matter was being dealt with effectively whilst I addressed other things. Most importantly, however, the team were easy to talk to and kept me fully up to date with progress. Hopefully I'll not have a need to use them again but, if I do, I absolutely would NOT hesitate! Last thing for me to say - THANK YOU McDonald Murholme!”

PJ Metcalf

PJ Metcalf
“Alan, Julie and the team at McDonald Murholme helped me through a very stressful time with my employer. Once I contacted and engaged them they… more

“Alan, Julie and the team at McDonald Murholme helped me through a very stressful time with my employer. Once I contacted and engaged them they kept me informed and supported me throughout the journey. They took away my stress, were patient with my many questions and most importantly they empowered me. Highly recommend.”

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