Revising the Amusement Award: What Should Change?

The FWC has confirmed that the scope of the review will include:

• Changes to the classification structure (Schedule A) of the Amusement Award to more clearly identify the roles of ‘arts workers’.
• Changing the award title and terminology to reduce confusion about the award’s application and explicitly recognise art as work.

Submissions for proposed changes are due by 4pm AEDT Friday 7 March 2025, with replies due by 4pm AEDT Friday 28 March 2025. A case management hearing will follow on 3 April 2025, with a Full Bench hearing scheduled for 29-30 April 2025.

NAVA’s proposals focus on the following areas to better support arts workers:

• Revised Award title: Updating the title to explicitly recognise art as work, ensuring galleries, museums, and visual arts organisations are clearly covered.
• Expanding classifications and definitions: Clearly identifying arts workers within the award’s structure, with a comprehensive list of roles and responsibilities for galleries, museums, and visual arts organisations.
• Pay scale adjustments: Advocating for new classification grades aligned with NAVA’s Code of Practice to ensure adequate compensation for the specialised skills required in the sector.
• Penalty rates for irregular hours: Ensuring adequate pay for extended hours, late nights, and weekend work, which are common in the visual arts sector due to exhibition schedules, installations, and events.
• Work Health and Safety (WHS) allowances: Addressing WHS considerations for high-risk work environments.

NAVA will advocate for a transition period to allow for the implementation of changes, ensuring that the independent sector has time to adjust to new award structures and pay expectations.

Why is a transition period needed?

• In some cases, it may take time to align with federal and state funding periods.
• Some small organisations and independent artists may struggle to immediately meet new pay obligations due to funding agreements.

NAVA is calling for incremental annual increases in funding models to support wages without placing undue strain on arts organisations.

To strengthen NAVA’s submission, we need lived examples of how misclassification affects pay, workload, and career progression.

How to Share Your Case Study

• Write about your role – What tasks do you perform? What skills, training, and experience are required for your role?
• Explain the impact of misclassification – Lower pay? More workload? Lack of benefits?
• Share real-world challenges in the arts – What challenges do you face in your work? (e.g., unpaid overtime, late-night installations, workplace health and safety risks)
• Submit your case study – Email your response to nava@visualarts.net.au

By contributing your experiences, you will help shape NAVA’s final proposal to the FWC and ensure the revised award truly reflects the realities of working in the arts. Please share this call-out with your networks – the more voices we have, the stronger our case and the more comprehensive and representative our proposal will be.

NAVA will continue to consult with the sector and provide updates as the process unfolds.

Image: Nadia Hernández, 2023.

[ID: Graphic image with block text on pastel green shapes on a bright green background. The text reads, 'Recognise Art as Work'.]