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INCotton Ginning Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Cotton Ginning Award actually pays — the right classification level, night and public holiday penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Cotton Ginning Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification level — the calculator uses the Schedule A "ordinary hourly rate" from 1 July 2026, which already folds in the $37.19/week disabilities allowance paid to every employee for all purposes.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours, but where a penalty rate also applies (night work, public holidays) the casual is paid the tabulated penalty/casual rate only — not the loading stacked on top.
- Ordinary hours run Monday to Friday only, 6am–8pm (day) or 6pm–8am (night) — there is no separate Saturday or Sunday ordinary-hours penalty, because weekend work is overtime, not extended ordinary time.
- Overtime starts after 2 hours Monday to Saturday: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% — Sunday and public holiday overtime are both paid at flat rates with a 4-hour minimum engagement.
- The casual loading is explicitly not paid on overtime hours, so casual and permanent overtime multipliers are the same.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the night loading and public holiday penalty on ordinary hours — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Employers operating cotton ginneries and their ginning employees
- Yard and gin cleaning, general delivery work and manual labour
- Mobile plant and gin machinery operation, weighbridge operation
- Assistant, trainee and qualified ginners
- On-hire labour and group training trainees placed into cotton ginneries
Employees excluded from award coverage by the Fair Work Act, or already covered by a modern enterprise award/enterprise instrument or a State reference public sector award, sit outside this award.
Which level is your team member?
The Cotton Ginning Award runs a single five-level ladder, CG1 through CG5, built around the skill and OH&S weight of the work — not job titles. Progression from CG2 up is largely seasons-of-experience and formal qualification (Certificate III in Ginning) based.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CG1 (first 6 months) | $26.72 | $1015.29 | General labourer · Yard and gin cleaner | General workers cleaning the yard and gin, doing general delivery or manual labour, needing minimal training. This entry rate applies for an employee’s first 6 months. |
| CG1 (after 6 months) | $27.42 | $1042.09 | General labourer · Yard and gin cleaner | Same duties as the first-6-months tier, at the higher rate that applies once 6 months’ service is reached. This award has no separate junior or apprentice scale — these two tiers are the entry-rate structure. |
| CG2 (standard rate) | $27.93 | $1061.19 | Mobile plant operator · Gin machinery operator | In charge of operating mobile plant or gin machinery where OH&S considerations are greater than CG1 — may need external tickets or internal assessment (not just a driver’s licence). This is the award’s standard rate level. |
| CG3 | $28.42 | $1080.09 | Experienced machine operator · Assistant/trainee ginner | A CG2-level machine operator with 2 or more seasons’ experience (including returning seasonal staff), or an assistant/trainee ginner without a Certificate III in Ginning. |
| CG4 | $29.24 | $1111.09 | Weighbridge operator · Certificate III ginner · Qualified maintenance | Weighbridge operators, assistant ginners who hold a Certificate III in Ginning (or equivalent experience), or experienced/qualified maintenance staff on gin equipment. |
| CG5 | $30.43 | $1156.29 | Ginner in charge of the gin | Responsible for the operation of the gin, and may supervise and run a team of employees. The top of the ladder. |
- CG1 has no junior or apprentice scale sitting under it — instead it has two tiers of its own: a lower rate for the first 6 months, stepping up automatically at the 6-month mark.
- CG2 is the standard rate and the first level with real OH&S weight: operating mobile plant or gin machinery, often needing tickets or an internal assessment beyond a driver’s licence.
- CG3 recognises two different paths to the same level: 2+ seasons as a CG2 operator (returning seasonal staff count), or an assistant/trainee ginner still working toward Certificate III.
- CG5 is reserved for the ginner actually responsible for running the gin, who may also supervise a team — it is a genuine top-of-ladder classification, not a length-of-service reward.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Cotton Ginning Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Cotton Ginning Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Cotton Ginning Award requires:
The full rules live in clause 16 of the award.
Calculate a week under the Cotton Ginning Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000024) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The classification minimums are the Schedule A ordinary hourly rates (inclusive of the all-purpose disabilities allowance) from the award, current at 1 July 2026. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser before running payroll.
Why are there two different hourly rates for the same classification?
Clause 17 sets a base minimum hourly rate, but the award’s defined "ordinary hourly rate" — the figure penalties, overtime and leave loading actually run on — is that base rate plus the $37.19/week disabilities allowance paid to everyone. The calculator uses the ordinary hourly rate throughout so weekend and night pay come out right.
Is Saturday work paid at a penalty rate?
No — this award has no separate Saturday (or Sunday) ordinary-hours penalty. Ordinary hours are Monday to Friday only; any Saturday or Sunday work is overtime, paid at the Monday–Saturday overtime tiers or the flat Sunday rate.
Do seasonal workers get a different rate?
Seasonal is a first-class employment category under this award, but seasonal employees sit on the same CG1–CG5 rate ladder as everyone else. The one difference is the special contingency allowance, where seasonal staff receive 30% of the full-time figure — not modelled in this calculator, so check clause 19.2(f) if it applies to your site.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
