Fair Work Commission

Introduction

In its 2007 general Wage-Setting Decision, the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) granted a deferral of its 2007 wage increase for farm businesses most severely affected by drought.

The AFPC exempted farm businesses in receipt of an Exceptional Circumstances Interest Rate Subsidy (ECIRS) from paying the general wage increase awarded by the AFPC in 2007. The deferral applied only to classification minimum wages above the standard Federal Minimum Wage (FMW). It did not apply to the standard FMW itself.

On the first pay period on or after 1 October 2008 all farm businesses were required to pay their employees minimum rates of pay, adjusted for both the AFPC's. Details of the Drought Deferral decision can be found in:

• general Wage-Setting Decision 2007; and
• general Wage-Setting Decision 2008.

Decisions

Drought deferral decision extracts

• Drought deferral – Extracts of Executive Summary and Reasons for Decision July 2007 (PDF 67kb)
• Drought deferral – Extracts of Wage-Setting Decisions Nos 2/2007, 3/2007 and 4/2007 July 2007 (PDF 71kb)

Drought deferral amending decision

• Wage-Setting Decision No 7/2007 (PDF 919kb)