31 MARCH 2026

For further information see Public holidays – Fair Work Ombudsman.

If your business operates on a public holiday, employees in the dairy industry covered by the Pastoral Award 2020 must be paid as follows:

Permanent employees (full-time and part-time)

• If a public holiday falls on a permanent employee’s usual rostered workday, there are two options:
• The employee has the day off and is paid their base hourly rate for their ordinary hours; or
• The employee works and is paid double their base hourly rate for each hour worked.
• If a public holiday falls on a permanent employee’s regular day off, there is no additional entitlement or payment.

Permanent employees on an Individual Flexibility Agreement (IFA) or annualised salary

• Public holiday entitlements may already be included in the employee’s overall remuneration.
• This should be assessed on a case-by-case basis by reviewing the relevant agreement or salary arrangement.

Casual employees

• Casual employees who do not work on a public holiday are not entitled to any payment.
• Casual employees who do work on a public holiday must be paid 225% of their base rate of pay.

Can I require my employees to work on a public holiday?

You can request an employee to work on a public holiday, if the request is ‘reasonable’. An employee can refuse your request if the request is not reasonable or if the refusal is reasonable. To decide whether a request or refusal is ‘reasonable’, you need to consider a number of things including:

• the nature of the business and its operational requirements;
• the employee’s personal circumstances, including family responsibilities;
• the employee’s expectations about a requirement to work on the public holiday;
• whether the employee is entitled to penalty rates or other compensation for working on the public holiday;
• employee status (whether they’re full-time, part-time, casual or work shift work);
• the amount of notice you gave them when asking them to work on the public holiday;
• the amount of notice given by the employee if they do not want to work on the public holiday;
• any other relevant matter.

WA Dairy Farm Employees

Whether public holiday penalty rates apply depends on which award covers your employee.

• If your employee is covered by the Pastoral Award 2020, public holiday rules and penalty rates as detailed above apply.

If your employee is covered by the WA Farm Employees Award, there is no public holiday penalty rate. The employee can be paid their ordinary rate whether they work or do not work. You can ask them to work, but they can refuse if they have a reasonable reason.