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INOil Refining Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week at a refinery, lubricants plant or terminal actually pays — the right stream and level, shift and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Oil Refining Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per stream and level — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 16.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading, with a 4-hour minimum engagement each time they’re rostered.
- Saturday work is paid at 150% for the first two hours and 200% after that; Sunday is a flat 200% — both are ordinary-hours penalties, not overtime.
- Public holidays sit at 300%, well above the 250% you’ll see in most other awards — budget accordingly for holiday coverage.
- Overtime kicks in beyond 35 ordinary weekly hours: 150% for the first two hours, then 200% (casuals: 175% / 225%); continuous shiftworkers are paid a flat 200% (225% casual) for all overtime instead.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime. All clause 23 penalty payments are paid in substitution for each other, not stacked, so don’t add a shift loading on top of a public holiday rate.
Who the award covers
- Refinery operations — process plant, outside and console operators
- Lubricants and bitumen plants and terminals
- Maintenance trades employed on-site at a refinery or manufacturing plant
- Clerical employees engaged in the oil refining and manufacturing industry
- Labour hire staff placed into oil refining and manufacturing businesses
Mining and extraction of crude oil, road transport of fuel, and general manufacturing outside oil refining sit under other awards — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
This award runs four separate streams — Refinery Operations, Lubricants/Bitumen, Maintenance and Clerical — each with its own ladder. The calculator covers the two streams most SMB-scale operators actually hire into: Refinery Operations (process plant) and Maintenance (trades). If your business runs a lubricants or bitumen plant, use the parallel Lubricants/Bitumen ladder (Trainee through Head operator) at the same logic; Clerical staff sit on a separate, lower ladder again.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refinery Ops L1 | $29.49 | $1032.16 | Trainee operator | Undergoing orientation and training on the plant — the entry point into refinery operations. |
| Refinery Ops L2 | $31.83 | $1113.86 | Outside operator | Operates all assigned outside plant and equipment, does general housekeeping, isolates and prepares equipment for maintenance, holds the relevant certificates. |
| Refinery Ops L3 | $34.43 | $1204.96 | Advanced outside operator | Meets the L2 skill set and is competent in three or more outside-area jobs. |
| Refinery Ops L4 | $38.16 | $1335.66 | Console operator | Designated to a panel, area or workstation; independently controls and co-ordinates unit operations and the field operators working with them. |
| Refinery Ops L5 | $41.09 | $1438.26 | Head operator | Designated and meets the L3 requirements — the senior operating role on shift. |
| Maintenance L1 | $33.25 | $1163.86 | Tradesperson | A qualified tradesperson (fitter, electrician, boilermaker and similar) working on plant maintenance. |
| Maintenance L2 | $35.39 | $1238.66 | Advanced tradesperson | A tradesperson with additional relevant qualifications or skills beyond the base trade. |
| Maintenance L3 | $37.87 | $1325.26 | Dual trade tradesperson | Holds and uses two trade qualifications relevant to the work. |
| Maintenance L4 | $39.40 | $1378.96 | Maintenance coordinator | Coordinates the maintenance workload and other tradespeople — the senior maintenance role. |
- The standard week here is 35 hours, not the usual 38 — build rosters and overtime around that lower threshold.
- Refinery Operations levels build on certification and independence: L2 needs the relevant tickets, L3 needs competency in three or more outside-area jobs, and L4 (console operator) independently runs a panel or unit.
- Maintenance levels track trade qualifications: a single trade at L1, extra qualifications at L2, two trades at L3, and coordination of the maintenance function at L4.
- Progression to Refinery Operations L3 and above generally requires employer appointment, not automatic time-served movement.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Oil Refining 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 Oil Refining 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 Oil Refining Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clauses (clauses 15 and 22.9). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Oil Refining 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 35 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000072) — 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 stream and level minimums are the adult rates from clause 16.1, current at 1 July 2026. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser — especially if you also employ Lubricants/Bitumen or Clerical staff, whose ladders aren’t in this calculator.
Why is the standard week 35 hours here?
Most modern awards use a 38-hour week, but this one sets ordinary hours at 35 (clause 16.1). It changes when overtime starts, so don’t apply a 38-hour rule of thumb to refinery or maintenance rosters.
Do Saturday and Sunday penalties stack with a shift loading?
No. Clause 23.2 pays these rates in substitution for other penalty rates, not on top of them — pay the highest single rate that applies to the hours worked, not a combination.
Does super apply to the public holiday rate?
Yes — public holiday and weekend penalties on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. True overtime is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
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.
