Award Rates for Petrol Station Workers in Australia 2025-26

Award rates for Australian petrol station workers change every July when the Fair Work Commission hands down its annual minimum wage decision. Most operators know they need to update their rates, but fewer know exactly what applies to each shift type, each day of the week, and each employment category. This is the 2025-26 breakdown you need.

The award that covers petrol station workers

Most petrol station and convenience store workers in Australia are covered by the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award 2020 (MA000089). This includes console operators, forecourt staff, and convenience store retail employees. If you have a workshop or car wash on site, those staff may fall under a different classification within the same award, but the base rates and penalty structure are the same framework.

If you are ever unsure whether a specific role is covered by MA000089 or another award, the Fair Work Ombudsman's online tools can confirm it. Running payroll under the wrong award is a common compliance error, and it does not reduce your liability.

Base rates for 2025-26

The Level 1 classification under MA000089, which covers most counter and forecourt staff, carries a minimum hourly rate of $24.95 per hour as of 1 July 2025. This is the base rate for permanent employees on ordinary weekday hours.

For casual employees, the 25% casual loading is added on top of the base rate before any penalty rates are calculated. That brings the casual base rate to $31.19 per hour on a standard weekday.

Higher classification levels apply to experienced staff and supervisors. A Level 3 employee supervising a shift earns a meaningfully higher base rate. If you have staff in senior roles and you are still paying them at Level 1, you are likely underpaying them, which creates back-pay liability.

Penalty rates by day type

The headline number that most operators know is the base hourly rate. The number that actually drives your labour cost is the effective hourly rate across your trading hours. For a petrol station open seven days a week, here is what that looks like under MA000089.

• Monday to Friday, ordinary hours. Base rate only. No penalty loading applies to standard daytime shifts.
• Evening shifts (after 6pm on weekdays). A 15% loading applies to hours worked after 6pm Monday to Friday.
• Saturday. 150% of the ordinary rate. Every Saturday hour costs you time and a half. For a casual already on a loaded rate, the effective Saturday rate is significantly above the 150% headline.
• Sunday. 200% of the ordinary rate. A Sunday shift at base Level 1 costs $49.90 per hour per permanent employee, and more for casuals.
• Public holidays. 250% of the ordinary rate. At $62.38 per hour for a Level 1 permanent employee, public holiday shifts are your most expensive labour event of the year. Many operators significantly underestimate what their Christmas and Easter rosters actually cost.

Overtime thresholds

For full-time employees, hours worked beyond 38 hours per week attract overtime rates. The first three hours of overtime in a day are paid at 150% and anything beyond that at 200%. Part-time employees have their contracted hours as their baseline, and hours beyond contracted hours but below 38 for the week are treated as overtime at the applicable rates.

Casuals do not have the same overtime structure in the same way, but they do have maximum ordinary hours provisions. Staying across this is particularly important for casuals who regularly pick up extra shifts.

Superannuation on top of wages

Superannuation is not included in the award rates. It is payable on top of wages at the current rate of 11.5% of ordinary time earnings. This increases to 12% from 1 July 2025. The super obligation applies to employees earning above $450 per month from a single employer, though most petrol station staff will exceed this threshold.

Operators who are calculating their true labour cost need to add super to their wage figure to get an accurate number. A staff member on $25 per hour is costing you $28 per hour when super is included, before any penalty rates or leave accruals.

What to check before July

Each year in July, you need to confirm that your pay rates reflect the updated minimum wage decision. The Fair Work Commission publishes the new rates on its website as soon as the decision is handed down, usually in June or early July.

If your payroll system auto-updates award rates, verify that the update applied correctly. If you set rates manually, update every classification level that applies at your site. Underpaying employees below the minimum award rate, even inadvertently, creates back-pay liability plus potential penalties under the Fair Work Act.