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Port Authorities Award Pay Calculator

Work out what a week under the Port Authorities Award actually pays — the right classification level, Saturday and Sunday penalties, shift loadings, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.

How the Port Authorities Award is applied

Minimum rates are set per classification level — the calculator uses the Schedule A rates from clause 15.1(a), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
Casuals get a 25% loading on the ordinary hourly rate, and Saturday, Sunday and public holiday casual figures are then calculated on that already-loaded casual rate, not the base rate again — the award is explicit about this (clause 11.2(a), 19.3(b)).
Saturday is paid at 150% for all ordinary hours worked, not just overtime — a common trap, since many awards only lift the rate once you cross into overtime territory. Sunday (200%) and public holidays (250%) work the same way.
Overtime on Monday to Friday starts after 3 ordinary hours in a day: 150% for the first 3 hours of overtime, 200% after that (clause 19.1) — the 3-hour trigger is longer than some awards, which start the overtime clock after just 2 hours.
Afternoon shift (112.5%) and night shift (115%) penalties apply on top of the ordinary rate for shiftworkers rostering outside standard day-worker spread — relevant for the 24/7 rosters common at ports running pilotage, vessel traffic services or continuous cargo operations.
Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift and weekend penalties — but not to overtime. Recall-to-overtime has its own 4-hour minimum payment (clause 19.2), regardless of how long the callback actually takes.

Who the award covers

Port operators — employers with a statutory or contractual right to manage or control a port and who provide port services
Wharf and civil maintenance, mooring, plant operation, rigging and administrative staff employed by a port operator
Qualified tradespeople and boat masters (vessels not exceeding 24 metres) engaged by a port operator
Marine pilots employed directly by a port operator (Levels 13–15)
On-hire labour supplied to port operators
Group training service apprentices and trainees hosted at a port operator site

Maintenance contractors covered by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award, or the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award, are excluded — as are stevedoring operators (Stevedoring Industry Award), towage providers (Marine Towage Award) and enclosed-water vessel crews (Ports, Harbours and Enclosed Water Vessels Award). Check who actually controls the port before classifying.

Which level is your team member?

The Port Authorities Award has fifteen levels — but the practical range for most port operators sits at Levels 1 to 10 (general, technical and administrative staff). Levels 11–12 are senior project-management roles and Levels 13–15 are Marine Pilots on a separate, much higher pay scale — classify those roles directly against Schedule A rather than this calculator’s narrowed list.

Level	Per hour	Per week (38h)	Typical roles	The test
Level 1	$25.74	$978.10	Mooring deckhand · Wharf/shed cleaner · Small plant, forklift (to 10,000kg), bobcat or sweeper operator	Completed induction, works under detailed instruction on basic civil/maintenance duties. Capped at 6 months — an employee cannot stay at Level 1 longer than that.
Level 2	$26.75	$1016.40	Wharf infrastructure installer (bollards, fenders) · Medium plant operator (over 10,000kg)	Works under close direction, exercises some discretion over quality of work, and can carry out basic computer/records functions.
Level 3	$27.97	$1062.90	Rigger/scaffolder · On-the-job trainer · Records and inventory controller	Assists in training others, carries out more advanced computer and basic clerical functions, and may hold a rigging or scaffolding certificate for minor plant servicing.
Level 4	$29.45	$1119.10	Qualified tradesperson · Boat master (vessels to 24 metres)	Performs skilled trade or port-related work under guidelines and instructions. The award’s “standard rate” used to calculate wage-related allowances.
Level 5	$30.38	$1154.30	Small work-group supervisor · Information-systems operator for port activities	Requires only general guidance, may help train lower-level employees, and supervises a small group.
Level 6	$31.30	$1189.40	Heavy shore-based crane operator/servicer	Exercises initiative, discretion and judgment within approved guidelines, with only limited direction.
Level 7	$32.13	$1221.10	Team supervisor over Level 6 and below	Applies detailed knowledge of enterprise operations to complex issues, diagnoses and implements modifications, and supervises staff including performance counselling.
Level 8	$33.99	$1291.80	Team leader (marine environment) · Associate Diploma-qualified technical staff	Provides technical guidance, prepares technical reports and acts as a team leader — typically holding an Associate Diploma or equivalent.
Level 9	$36.44	$1384.60	Specialist administrative officer	High-level practical skills in a specialist administrative function, working within broadly defined guidelines under limited direction.
Level 10	$38.66	$1468.90	Senior administrative support specialist	Responsible for a wide range of administrative support services, typically backed by relevant study or tertiary qualification.

Level 1 is capped by the award itself: an employee cannot be engaged at Level 1 for more than 6 months (Schedule A.1). Build that into your onboarding calendar, not just your pay run.
The ladder from Level 2 to Level 5 tracks growing discretion and computer/administrative competence, not just physical work — a Level 3 rigger with a scaffolding certificate sits above a Level 2 plant operator on that basis alone.
Level 4 is the award’s "standard rate" — $1,119.10 a week — used as the base for calculating wage-related allowances (Schedule C.1.1). It is also where qualified tradespeople and boat masters (vessels to 24 metres) sit.
Levels 13–15 are Marine Pilots, not general port staff — their rates ($2,717.80–$2,980.90/week) are roughly double the top of the general ladder, so confirm pilot vs non-pilot status before classifying anyone near the top of the scale.

Allowances that can apply on top

Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Port Authorities 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):

Electrician’s licence allowance — electrical mechanic holding an unrestricted licence (all-purpose)$50.92/week

First aid allowance — appointed first aid officer with current qualifications$20.14/week

Tool allowance — qualified tradesperson (Level 4+) required to provide own tools$17.90/week

Motor vehicle allowance — employer-approved use of a private car or motorcycle$1.00/km

Recall to overtimeMinimum 4 hours’ pay per recall

Annual leave loading — standard employees17.5% on paid annual leave

Annual leave loading — shiftworkers (also get 5 weeks’ annual leave)20% on paid annual leave

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 Port Authorities 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 Port Authorities Award requires:

Meal breakAn unpaid meal break of 30–60 minutes on an 8-hour shift — no more than 5 hours of work without a break where practical.

Rest breaksTwo paid 10-minute rest breaks (morning and afternoon) on shifts of 8+ hours; one on shifts of 5–8 hours.

Continuous shiftwork (10+ hours)One paid 20-minute meal break in the first 5 hours, then a further paid 10-minute break each subsequent 4 hours.

From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.

Calculate a week under the Port Authorities 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.

Classification levelEmployment typeState or territoryWeekday hours (Mon–Fri, ordinary)Afternoon shift hoursClause 19.7(a) — 112.5% of the ordinary hourly rate for afternoon shift. No separate casual shift rate is stated in the award; this applies the standard 25% casual loading on top (112.5% × 1.25).Night shift hoursClause 19.7(b) — 115% of the ordinary hourly rate for night shift. No separate casual shift rate is stated in the award; this applies the standard 25% casual loading on top (115% × 1.25).Saturday hoursClause 19.3(a)(i) — 150% applies to ALL Saturday ordinary hours, not just overtime. Casual figure is 150% of the casual ordinary hourly rate (which already carries the 25% loading), i.e. 187.5% of the base rate.Sunday hoursClause 19.4(a) — 200% applies to all Sunday hours worked, ordinary or overtime. Casual figure is 200% of the casual ordinary hourly rate (250% of the base rate).Public holiday hoursClause 19.5(a) — 250% applies to all public holiday hours, ordinary or overtime — the highest rate in the award. Casual figure is 250% of the casual ordinary hourly rate (312.5% of the base rate).

Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000051) — 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 rates from the award, current at 1 July 2026, narrowed to the Levels 1–10 range most port operators actually hire into. Levels 11–15 (senior administrative and Marine Pilot roles) sit outside this calculator — check Schedule A directly for those. Treat every result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.

Why does the casual Saturday multiplier look higher than "150%"?

Because casual penalty rates apply to the casual ordinary hourly rate, which already includes the 25% casual loading (clause 19.3(b)) — the award is explicit that you don’t add the loading a second time on top of the penalty. So 150% of an already-loaded rate works out to 187.5% of the base adult rate, and the calculator applies that directly.

Is Saturday work automatically overtime?

No — Saturday and Sunday can be rostered as ordinary hours by agreement (clause 12.2(b)), and they carry their own penalty rates (150% and 200%) whether the hours are ordinary or overtime. The rate doesn’t change at the 38-hour mark on those days the way it does Monday to Friday.

Does super apply to shift and weekend penalties?

Yes — afternoon shift, night shift, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday 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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