Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award

Coverage is broad inside upstream operations, but the exclusions are substantial and must be checked first every time you classify a role.

• Map the business activity to the upstream activities listed in clause 4.2 before assuming coverage.
• Check the long list of exclusions, especially maritime crew, refining and finished product operations, aviation, and professional employees such as geologists and engineers.
• Apply the most appropriate classification test where more than one award may be relevant.

Engagement type and classification stream both affect how you roster, pay and manage employees under this award structure.

• Record whether the employee is full-time, part-time or casual.
• If the employee is part-time, tell them their ordinary hours and starting and finishing times.
• If the employee is casual, apply the casual loading, overtime rule and one day minimum engagement.
• Classify employees by the Schedule A streams and levels rather than site labels alone.

Classification is built around stream based work and progression principles, not just generic levels or broad job titles.

• The classification structure expects flexible performance of work, acquisition of skills as reasonably requested and use of tools and equipment within training and competence.
• Progression depends on the employee having the relevant skills and being required by the employer to perform work at that level.
• The five stream groupings are distinct and should not be merged casually in payroll or contracts.

Roster design under this award is built for long site based work patterns, so cycle work rules need to be set up deliberately.

• Ordinary hours for full-time employees average across the work cycle and the award supplements the NES maximum weekly hours framework.
• Employees other than shiftworkers can be required to work long ordinary days within the award spread, and the spread itself can be altered by agreement.
• The award has a dedicated cycle work model with on-duty and off-duty periods and a formula for total ordinary hours across the cycle.

The award treats several industry specific allowances as core parts of pay administration, not optional extras or informal site payments.

• Allowances must be paid and separately identified.
• Some allowances are all purpose, including the industry allowance and the electrician licence allowance.
• Leading hand and living away from home entitlements depend on the duties and site circumstances, so they should be checked as separate payroll triggers.

Remote and cycle based operations do not remove the need for lawful boundaries around after hours contact and dispute handling.

• The right to disconnect operates through the Act and applies on the dates stated in the award term.
• Managers should not build an assumption that remote operations automatically justify out of hours contact.
• Disputes about award application or connected statutory rights can move through the dispute procedure.

PR813011

From the first full pay period starting on or after 19 August 2026, PR813011 corrected clause 17.2 so its overpayment-deduction wording refers to amounts payable under clause 17, rather than the unrelated clause 16.8.

Affected: 17.2 - Overpayment deductions

PR799280, PR799342, PR799498

The current consolidated award incorporates these recent variation determinations. Use the consolidated wording when checking any affected clause, schedule, rate or allowance.

Affected: 16 - Minimum rates, 20 - Allowances, Schedule B - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule C - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule E - Supported Wage System