The Asphalt Industry Award is really about three things: whether the work is genuinely asphalt industry work, whether the employee is in the right skill level, and whether the 4 week roster and payroll system have been set up to match the award. Most errors come from treating it like a general labouring award or from mishandling rostered days off and all-purpose allowances.
The Asphalt Industry Award is a specialist roadmaking and asphalt award. It can apply where a business works in roadmaking or in the manufacture, preparation, application, laying or fixing of the asphalt and bitumen products listed in clause 4.2. It is not a general catch-all for outdoor labour. Coverage still depends on the actual asphalt activity and on the employee fitting the award's skill structure from Skill Level 1 to Skill Level 5.
The award contains classification levels that connect an employee's duties, skills and responsibility to a minimum rate. Common role descriptions include:
A familiar job title is only a starting point. Match the employee's real duties against the classification definitions and keep a written record of the level selected.
Coverage and classification are the starting points because this award is narrow and technical, not a general site-work instrument.
Good engagement records matter in this award because hours, classifications and minimum payments move quickly between crews and projects.
The 4 week cycle is central to this award. Rosters should be designed around it from the start, not reconstructed after the fact.
A worked rostered day off is a specific award event. It carries both time-off and pay consequences and should not be absorbed into ordinary time.
Longer shift systems are allowed, but only through the award's agreement and safety framework. They should not be treated as informal custom.
Payroll under this award is sensitive to both classification changes and all-purpose allowances, especially on projects affected by weather and shifting crew duties.
The safest way to check a current rate is to start with the employee's classification, employment type and working pattern, then use Fair Work's current pay guide or Pay and Conditions Tool. Rates can change after an Annual Wage Review or an award variation.
Wet weather does not end the analysis. Clause 17.2(c)(iv) says employees who cannot be gainfully employed on their normal duties or other productive work because of wet weather must carry out alternative work out of the rain where available.
Clause 13.3(f) allows work on a rostered day off only in the circumstances listed there, such as productive deployment, maintenance outside ordinary hours or unforeseen delays. If that happens, clause 13.3(g) requires a replacement paid day off before the end of the next work cycle and separate payment treatment for the day worked.
Clause 15.2 says an employee required to perform work at a higher classification level must be paid the rate for that higher level for all work done on that day or shift. The business should therefore review the actual duties performed, not just the employee's usual label.
PR799280, PR799334, PR799844
The current consolidated award incorporates these recent variation determinations. Use the consolidated wording when checking any affected clause, schedule, rate or allowance.
Affected: 15 - Minimum rates, 17 - Allowances, Schedule A - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule B - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule C - Supported Wage System
No. Clause 4.2 is specific to roadmaking and the listed asphalt and bitumen activities. A general outdoor crew is not covered just because the work is physical or site-based.
Yes. Clause 4.3 extends coverage to on-hire employers and on-hire employees while they perform covered work in the asphalt industry, subject to the exclusions.
No. Clause 13.3 treats the rostered day off as a paid day off. If the employee is required to work it in a permitted circumstance, the award then requires both a replacement day off and separate payment treatment for the day worked.
No. Clause 12.3 says classification must follow the skill level or levels required to carry out the principal functions of the employment. The title is not enough by itself.
Yes. Clause 17.2 says the industry allowance and the inclement weather allowance are all-purpose allowances, so they are included when later calculations under the award require that approach.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Modern award coverage and classification depend on the facts. Check the current official award and get advice for your business before relying on this page.
Get practical legal help with award coverage, classifications, contracts and workplace changes.