Concrete Products Award: forklift and leading hand allowances now shown differently in Fair Work tools
Posted on September 8, 2026 by The HR Bridge Team
If you employ staff under the Concrete Products Award (MA000056) and use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s online tools to check pay, there’s a change you should know about.
What’s changed
From 9 September 2026, the Fair Work Ombudsman has updated how two allowances are presented in its Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) and the pay guide for the Concrete Products Award:
- Forklift operators allowance
- Leading hand allowance
This is a change to how these allowances are presented in the FWO’s resources. The FWO’s notice doesn’t describe it as a change to the award itself.
Why it matters
Many employers and payroll teams rely on PACT and the downloadable pay guides to set and check pay rates. When the way an allowance is displayed changes, it can affect how it’s read, calculated or entered into payroll — particularly if your team copies figures or follows a set process based on the old layout.
Forklift and leading hand allowances are common in concrete products workplaces, so this update is likely to touch a good share of employers covered by the award.
What you should do
- Revisit PACT and the latest pay guide. Look up the forklift operators and leading hand allowances again and make sure you understand how they’re now shown.
- Compare against your payroll settings. Check that the amounts and the way they’re applied — for example, per hour, per day or per week — match what you’re paying.
- Update internal guides. If your payroll procedures or templates reference the old presentation, refresh them.
- Check from 9 September 2026. If you’ve run pays since then using older printouts or saved copies, double-check those calculations.
- Read the award if in doubt. The award itself is the source of the entitlement. Where something looks different, check the relevant allowance clause.
Need help?
The Pay and Conditions Tool and Concrete Products Award pay guide are available at fairwork.gov.au. For free advice, call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.
Based on a Fair Work Ombudsman update. This post is general information, not legal advice.
