Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00150:section:294
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00150
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 294
Character Range: 805840–807901

294  Content of national minimum wage order—main provisions

Setting minimum wages and the casual loading
 (1) A national minimum wage order:
 (a) must set the national minimum wage; and
 (b) must set special national minimum wages for all award/agreement free employees in the following classes:
 (i) junior employees;
 (ii) employees to whom training arrangements apply;
 (iii) employees with a disability; and
 (c) must set the casual loading for award/agreement free employees.
Note: A national minimum wage order must be made in each annual wage review (see section 285).

Requiring employers to pay minimum wages and the casual loading
 (2) The order:
 (a) must require employers to pay employees to whom the national minimum wage applies a base rate of pay that at least equals the national minimum wage; and
 (b) must require employers to pay to employees to whom a special national minimum wage applies a base rate of pay that at least equals that special national minimum wage; and
 (c) must require employers to pay, to award/agreement free employees who are casual employees, a casual loading that at least equals the casual loading for award/agreement free employees (as applied to the employees' base rates of pay).

What employees does the national minimum wage apply to?
 (3) The national minimum wage applies to all award/agreement free employees who are not:
 (a) junior employees; or
 (b) employees to whom training arrangements apply; or
 (c) employees with a disability.

What employees does a special national minimum wage apply to?
 (4) A special national minimum wage applies to the employees to whom it is expressed in the order to apply. Those employees must be:
 (a) all junior employees who are award/agreement free employees, or a specified class of those employees; or
 (b) all employees to whom training arrangements apply and who are award/agreement free employees, or a specified class of those employees; or
 (c) all employees with a disability who are award/agreement free employees, or a specified class of those employees.