Public holiday pay explained

With the Christmas fast approaching, dairy farm employers need to be aware of the upcoming public holidays and understand the obligations they have to their staff. 

Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and Australia Day are all classed as public holidays in Victoria. Dairy farm employees covered by the Pastoral Award 2020 must be paid penalty rates if they work on any of these days. 

Permanent employees (Full Time or Part Time) 

If a permanent employee’s usual rostered day of work falls on a public holiday there are two options:

• Either the employee has the day off and is paid their base hourly rate for ordinary hours;
• or they work and are paid double their base hourly rate for each hour worked.

If a public holiday falls on a permanent employee’s regular day off, they receive no additional pay.

Permanent employees on an Individual Flexibility Agreement or annualised salary

Permanent employees on an Individual Flexibility Agreement or annualised salary may already have public holidays factored into their pay. This should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Casual employees

• Casual employees that do not work on a public holiday are not entitled to any pay.
• Casuals that work on a public holiday must be paid at 225% of their base rate of pay.

Find out more about public holiday entitlements on the People in Dairy website. 

For support in understanding public holiday obligations, contact WestVic Dairy Extension Advisor Matt Wood on (03) 5557 1000 or email matthew@westvicdairy.com.au