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.
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.
Want to see this award running on your data?
We can demo a pay run on the sugar industry 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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