Mannequins and Models Award

Coverage is narrow in one sense and technical in another. It is narrow because it is directed at mannequin and model work, but technical because a business may still need to compare this award with another award before deciding which classification is the best fit.

• Check whether the employee is actually being employed as a mannequin or model.
• Use the most appropriate classification if more than one award could apply.
• Check on-hire arrangements carefully because the award can apply where no more appropriate modern award classification exists.

Employment type cannot be left vague under this award. A business needs to decide at the start whether it is using a house employee arrangement or a casual booking arrangement, and part-time house employees need a proper written work pattern rather than an informal roster.

• Tell each employee at engagement whether they are full-time, part-time or casual.
• For part-time employees, agree the regular pattern of work in writing before the work is performed.
• The written pattern must cover hours, days, start and finish times, meal breaks, the minimum daily engagement, overtime beyond agreed hours and written variation rules.

Casual model work is highly structured under this award. The written booking terms matter because they shape both the performance expectations and the payment consequences if the booking changes.

• Before casual work starts, give the model written engagement details covering wardrobe, work conditions, exclusivity, on-call periods, hair requirements, how the work will be recorded and the intended use of the recording.
• Check the award's cancellation and postponement rules before changing or calling off a booking.
• Treat each casual engagement as a formal booking with defined terms, not as a loose verbal call up.

House mannequin and model rostering is not open ended. The award controls the number of days worked, the length of a day without overtime, and the spread of ordinary hours, so a booking schedule can create overtime issues even when the work seems routine.

• For full-time employees, ordinary hours average 38 per week over 28 days unless a longer period is agreed.
• Ordinary hours are worked on no more than 5 days in a week.
• A day's ordinary work cannot exceed the daily limits set by the award, and the spread of hours changes by day of the week.
• Check early starts, late finishes and long days against the spread before confirming work.

Wardrobe, transport and living away from home issues are practical compliance points under this award. They are not unusual extras. In the right circumstances they are part of the award minimums and should be budgeted at the same time as the booking fee or wages.

• Reimburse required clothing or accessories beyond the employee's personal wardrobe unless the employer provides them.
• Check transport obligations where an employee must use their own motor vehicle or is required to start very early or finish very late.
• If the employee is required to work away from their usual place and stay away overnight, check fares, board, lodging and travel time obligations.

This award expects allowance entitlements to be visible. Clear payroll coding matters because short engagements often involve reimbursements or allowance style payments that can be lost if everything is folded into one booking amount.

• Pay allowances when the entitlement arises.
• Keep allowances identifiable in payroll records and payslips.
• Do not bury reimbursements or meal related payments inside a single undifferentiated pay line.

This award now sits alongside the statutory right to disconnect. In a booking based industry that uses changing schedules and on-call requirements, businesses should be deliberate about when after hours contact is necessary and when it is simply convenient.

• The award reflects the employee right to disconnect under the Fair Work Act.
• Do not assume that after hours contact is always acceptable just because the industry uses bookings and on-call periods.
• If the employee is on-call or there is an emergency roster issue, check the specific award wording before treating after hours contact as required.

PR799280, PR799397, PR799552

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, 17 - Allowances, 22 - Penalties and penalty rates for full-time or part-time employees, Schedule A - Adjustment of Casual Rates and Penalties, Schedule B - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule C - Supported Wage System