Help with Compare What's Fair

On this page ...

Introduction
Section 1: Job Detail
Section 2: Hours
Section 3: Allowances
Section 4: Entitlements
Section 5: Preview
Section 6: Awards vs AWA
Final Section: Overview

Introduction

Compare What’s Fair assists you to compare current award entitlements with a proposed Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) for your typical working week.

You can check if you will lose any current rights or entitlements under a proposed AWA.

You can also calculate the amount that you would earn over a year, including entitlements, based on your typical working week under an existing award and a proposed AWA.

Starting the Compare What’s Fair Calculator

Fig 1: The introductory page is the start of the Compare What's Fair calculator
Fig 1: The introductory page is the start of the Compare What’s Fair calculator.

Step 1:

Ensure that you have with you a pay slip and a copy of your proposed AWA. This will make things easier when you need to start entering information and figures into the calculator.

Step 2:

As you progress, the following pages will be separated into two coloured sections: your current award (yellow background) and your AWA (grey background).

Step 3:

Before you start you need to realise:

This is for employees AND employers
The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations does not accept responsibility for any action taken due to the results of this calculator.

Fig 2: Select an award and click “Start”

Step 4:

You now must select your award from 11 of the most common awards (Fig 2), then click “Start” to begin the application.

NOTE: These awards only cover the Southern Division Eastern District , except for the Café, Restaurant and Catering Award – State (Excluding South East Queensland) 2003.

See more on Divisional and district parities

Section 1: Job Detail

Fig 3: The Job Detail Section

Classification

On this page, you will need to select your job classification covered by your State award (E.g. Adult Level 3 Hairdresser – Mens or Ladies). Similarly, a drop down box appears for juniors or apprentices if applicable to that award.

NOTE: If there are no apprentice or junior rates within the award they will not appear at this selection point.

Employment Status

There are three options to choose from for employment status; full time , part time or casual . All three appear on this screen even if one type does not apply to the corresponding award.

Fig 4: An error will appear if you enter more than one classification or none at all.

NOTE: If you select more than one classification or none at all, an error is shown on the page and will not allow you to move onto the next section.

If you select an employment status that does not apply to that particular award, the following page will be blank.

Fig 5: Naming your AWA and job position

Naming your AWA and Job Position

After you have selected your classification and employment status, you will then move onto the AWA naming page.

Here you will enter the name of your intended AWA, your job position and employment status before moving onto Section 2: Hours.

Section 2: Hours

Fig 6: The Hours Section

On this page, you will notice the screen is separated into two coloured sections: your current award (yellow background) and your proposed AWA (grey background).

You will now have to enter your ordinary hours, overtime hours and shift hours for your typical working week.

You will also enter your intended AWA hours and corresponding rates.

NOTE: You will need to enter the ordinary hours and rate in at least one of the corresponding boxes from both the award and AWA in order to move on to Section 3: Allowances.

Ordinary Hours

Ordinary hours are those hours that are worked within a limitation imposed by the award (e.g. 38 per week or 10 per day) and in some awards they must be worked between certain nominated starting and ceasing times (e.g. between 6.00 am and 6.00 pm) or on designated days or over a prescribed number of days.

Note: There are still some State awards such as the Cafe Restaurant and Catering Award - State (Excluding South-East Queensland) 2003 that prescribe a 40 hour week.

Ordinary hours include those hours within the limitation or between the designated times that fall on days that attract a penalty loading (e.g. Saturday and Sunday). Compare What's Fair will ask you to provide the number of hours worked for each category but the total of the two should not exceed 38 or 40 in the week nor should it include hours worked in excess of a daily limitation or outside the designated starting and ceasing times if applicable in the award.

Overtime Hours

Overtime hours include those hours in excess of a daily limitation (e.g. 10) and/or in excess of a weekly limitation (e.g. 38 or 40) or outside nominated starting and ceasing times (e.g. hours worked before 6.00 am or after 12.00 midnight if an award so prescribes). Most State awards provide that the first three hours of overtime on any day are payable at time and a half and then double time for the fourth hour and thereafter.

Note: The Building Construction Industry Award - State 2003 is time and a half for the first two hours and double time for the third hour and thereafter.

Examples:

To assist you in completing the details of your typical working week, the following scenario examples are provided:

Example 1 - Clerical and Administration [new window]
Example 2 - Engineering [new window]
Example 3 - Hairdressers [new window]
Example 4 - Restaurants/Catering (South-East Queensland) [new window]

Section 3: Allowances

Fig 7: The Allowances Section

Allowances

In the allowances section you can either select the corresponding award allowance (E.g. Bicycle Allowance), or enter an allowance not related to the awards as a part of a condition of your AWA.

Adding a new Allowance

If you wish to add a new allowance for the AWA, click on the “Add New Allowance” button located just under your AWA title. You can then fill out the new allowance title, times, period and rate then click “Add” or “Cancel” to return to the allowances page.

In the above example (Fig 7), we have added an “On Call” allowance to the AWA which will show by default as “Not Applicable” (N/A) under the current award.

You are now ready to move onto Section 4: Entitlements.

Section 4: Entitlements

Fig 8: The Entitlements Section
Fig 8 : The Entitlements Section

This section gives you an overview of annual leave , sick leave , public holidays and other entitlements within the award and the entitlements to be included in your AWA.

Public holidays

Compare What's Fair does not include payments as prescribed by the relevant award for work performed on a public holiday in the typical working week. However, entitlements for 11 public holidays throughout the year (whether or not worked) are included as part of the annualised salary. View our list of public holidays dates.

Local public holidays

Some localities in Queensland have holidays for special events or commemorative days which are recognised by some awards. These are known as "bank" holidays and Compare What's Fair does not calculate entitlements for work performed on such days. View our list of upcoming local public holidays.

You will not be able to edit award details on this page, however there is a provision for AWAs to cash in up to two weeks annual leave as a part of your provisions. In these fields, you can amend the AWA provisons for all leave entitlements.

How the Entitlements work:

Entitlement	Award	AWA
Annual Leave	= weekly rate x 4	= weekly rate x 4
Leave Loading	= weekly rate x 4 x 0.175	= weekly rate x 4 x 0.175
Cash in Annual Leave	Not Applicable	Maximum 2 weeks
Public Holidays	= weekly rate / 38 x 11	= weekly rate / 38 x 10
Sick Leave	= weekly rate / 38 x 60.8	= weekly rate / 38 x 60.8
Long Service Leave	= weekly rate x 0.86667	= weekly rate x 0.86667

Section 5: AWARD vs AWA Preview

Fig 9: The Preview page

On this preview page you are given an opportunity to review your award and AWA information before finalising your award/AWA comparison.

Annualised Salary

NOTE: The annualised salary calculation is made up of the following:

This is based on the award provisions shown in the above example (Fig 9):

Grand Total in Dollars	= 33075.62
Less Long Service Leave (537.16)	= 32538.46
Less Sick Leave (991.65)	= 31546.81
Less Qld Public Holidays (1363.52)	= 30183.29
Less Leave Loading (433.85)	= 29749.44
Less Annual Leave (2479.12)	Sub total balance = 27270.32
Total worked weeks = Sub total balance / weekly rate = 27270.32 / 619.78	= 44 weeks

The assumption behind this calculation is that all leave is taken at the end of the year. This allows a true yearly value to be applied rather than basing the calculation on a worked 52 week per year period and adding entitlements to the end of each year.

You can change or amend information by clicking on the “Edit” buttons at the right of the screen.

Click the “Finish” button to continue to the final page of the calculator.

Section 6: AWARD vs AWA

Fig 10: The Awards vs AWA page

Final Section: Overview

The final page allows you to view a complete comparative summary of the Award vs AWA. The overview tells you what entitlements you may be missing out on compared to the AWA. This will vary according to the AWA information you have entered.

Fig 11: Choose from options to Print or Save.

Once you are at the final page, you may choose to “Save” or “Print” the page, by clicking on the buttons located at the top and bottom of the screen. This will create a PDF document which you can save or print.

Last updated: 25 October 2007