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General award information

The nature of awards, their legal standing and how awards interact with other elements of the labour relations system.

Information on rates of pay and conditions in specific awards is available on the Award Wage Summaries page.

Awards are legally binding documents outlining the wages and conditions of employment for groups of employees in an industry or occupation. Awards can be negotiated by unions, employees, one or more employers, or an employer association.

Both State and federal awards operate in Western Australia. State awards are registered with the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC) and federal awards with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC).

What do awards contain?

Awards may contain a variety of matters, including:

  1. who the award applies to;
  2. pay rates and penalty rates;
  3. job classifications covered by the award;
  4. hours of work for full-time, part-time and casual employees;
  5. leave entitlements;  and
  6. allowances.

Awards are legally binding

Employers and employees cannot contract out of an award by agreeing to lesser conditions or agreeing to ignore their award.  Agreements providing for pay and conditions in excess of the award are allowed.

How to determine if an award applies

DOCEP's Wageline service 1300 655 266 can help employers and employees determine if an award applies to them.