Fitness Industry Award Summary [MA000094]

Understanding the Fitness Industry Award doesn’t have to feel like a workout in itself. We’ve taken every clause, condition and classification in the award and broken it down, so you can easily understand your responsibilities as an employer. 

Whether you’re managing a gym, yoga studio or personal training business, this guide will help you make sense of everything from pay rates and allowances to hours and overtime. You can read the full guide right below, or download a copy to keep on hand whenever you need it.

Who does this Award cover?

The Fitness Industry Award 2020 is designed to cover employers and employees throughout Australia who are engaged in the “fitness industry”.

“Fitness industry” is defined in the Award as “the operation or provision of: fitness centres; fitness services or classes; group fitness organisations; weight loss/control centres; aquatic centres; aquatic services or classes; indoor sports centres; golf driving ranges; dance centres; martial arts centres; recreational camps; tennis clubs and centres; tennis coaching or classes; and gymnastic services, activities or classes.”

In practical terms, the Award is designed to cover a range of employers and employees who work in the fitness industry, including employers who supply labour on an on-hire basis in the industry and employers which provide group training services for trainees in the fitness industry.

It is possible for sports coaches and instructors to be covered by alternative awards, such as:

• Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020 – for coaches employed by registered or licensed clubs.
• Sporting Organisations Award 2020 – for coaches employed by national or state/territory sporting bodies.
• Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020 – for school-based coaching roles.

The Award covers employees that provide administrative and other operational support that are based at fitness centres, group fitness organisations, weight loss/control centres, aquatic centres, indoor sports centres, golf driving ranges, dance centres, martial arts centres, recreational camps, tennis clubs and centres.

Employees that provide administrative and other operational support and are based outside of these settings are likely to be covered by the Clerks – Private Sector Award 2020.

Employees must be classified under a particular classification level based on duties, qualifications and experience. We provide further guidance on classification levels later in this summary. The importance of the classification level is that this dictates the minimum wage that the relevant employee must be paid.

An employer must advise an employee in writing of their classification when they start work and whenever their classification changes. They must also be given access to a copy of the Award and the Fair Work Information Statement.

The Award just provides for minimum rates of pay, but does not prevent an employer from providing more beneficial terms.

Understanding employee types

Employees must be classified as:

• Full-time;
• Part-time; or
• Casual

Full-time employees

Full-time employees are engaged to work an average of 38 hours per week.

Part-time employees

Part-time employees work an average of less than 38 ordinary hours per week, have reasonably predictable hours of work and receive pay and conditions equivalent to those of full-time employees who do the same kind of work, on a pro-rata basis.

The Award outlines that the employer must inform a part-time employee in writing at the start of their employment:

• The number of ordinary hours that they will work each day;
• The days of the week that they will work; and
• Their starting and finishing times.

Part-time employees must therefore be given a clearly defined and agreed schedule at the outset. For example, ‘around 10 hours per week’ would not meet this requirement.

Any hours worked in excess of the part-time employee’s agreed ordinary hours must be paid as overtime. Any changes to a part-time employee’s ordinary hours must be agreed in writing.

Minimum engagement: Part-time employees cannot be engaged for less than 3 hours per shift (or per period of work in a “broken shift” – see further below).

Casual employees

Casual employees generally work irregular hours.

Casual loading: Casual employees are entitled to a 25% loading on the minimum hourly rate set out in the Award for each ordinary hour worked on Monday to Friday and a 30% loading on the minimum hourly rate set in the Award for each ordinary hour worked on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.

The casual loading is not paid for any overtime worked.

The casual loading is paid instead of annual leave, personal/carer’s leave, notice of termination, redundancy benefits and other entitlements that full-time and part-time employees receive.

Minimum engagement: The minimum engagement for most casual employees is at least three consecutive hours of work on each occasion they are required to attend work.

However, a casual employee who is classified as a Level 2, 3, 3A, 4, 4A or 5 instructor, trainer or tennis coach or as a trainee undertaking practical work involvement, may be engaged for a minimum period of one hour’s work (or be paid for a minimum of one hour’s work, even if they do a shorter shift).

Casual conversion: From 26 February 2025, the process for casual conversion changed so that employees (not employers) are responsible for initiating conversion to permanent employment.

Casual employees are able to request conversion in writing if they have been employed for at least six months (or 12 months for small businesses with less than 15 employees) and believe they no longer meet the definition of a casual employee. That might occur because, for example, there is an expectation of ongoing work and they are working regular hours, etc. See our guidance on casual conversion here.

Casual Employment Information Statement: Employers must provide casual employees with a copy of the Casual Employment Information Statement before, or as soon as possible after, the employee has started their new job. They also need to provide the employee with the Fair Work Information Statement at the same time.

Ordinary hours of work and rostering arrangements

The Award contains the following rules regarding “ordinary hours of work”. Hours worked outside or in excess of these hours are generally paid as overtime (see further below).

Span of ordinary hours

The “span” of hours in which an employee may work their ordinary hours are:

• Between 5.00 am to 11.00 pm Monday to Friday; and
• Between 6.00 am to 9.00 pm Saturday and Sunday

Daily limit of ordinary hours

The maximum number of ordinary hours that an employee can work on any one day is 10.

Weekly limit of ordinary hours

The maximum number of weekly ordinary hours that can be worked (exclusive of meal breaks) is an average of 38 hours per week. Hours can be averaged as follows:

• 38 hours within a work cycle of one week;
• 76 hours within a work cycle of 2 weeks;
• 114 hours within a work cycle of 3 weeks; or
• 152 hours within a work cycle of 4 weeks.

Employers must provide employees with details of their rostered hours, or any changes to their rostered hours, at least 7 days prior, except in the case of an emergency. This is subject to the rules for part-time employees which state that their hours cannot be varied without written agreement.

Broken shifts

A broken shift occurs when a work period is split into two parts, separated by unpaid breaks other than a meal break. For example, when an employee works in the morning, goes home/has an extended unpaid break, and then returns to work later that same day.

An employee can be rostered to work a broken shift on any one day provided that:

• The shift is not broken into more than 2 parts;
• The total length of the shift is not less than 3 hours, exclusive of meal breaks; and
• The span of hours from the start of the first part of the shift to the end of the second part of the shift is not more than 12 hours.

Rostered day off (RDO)

The employer and the majority of employees at an enterprise may agree to establish an RDO system.

This agreement must be recorded in the wage and time records (for example, where an employee works 3 weeks of 40 hours but is paid for 38 hours with 2 hours per week accumulating to a paid day off at the end of the 4th week). Once an RDO system is introduced, employees, with the employer’s agreement, may take a part or full day RDO at any time, or accrue and bank RDOs to be taken at a mutually agreed later date.

Make-up time

The Award states that an employee may elect, with the consent of the employer, to work make-up time under which the employee takes time off during ordinary hours and works those hours at a later time, during the spread of ordinary hours provided in the Award. An employer must record make-up time arrangements in the time and wages record.

What penalty rates apply to the Award?

Employees are entitled to higher rates of pay when they work ordinary hours on weekends and public holidays. A full-time or part-time employee must be paid at the following rates for all ordinary hours worked:

• Saturday—125% of the minimum hourly rate;
• Sunday—150% of the minimum hourly rate; and
• Public holiday – 250% of the minimum hourly rate.

Casuals are entitled to a 30% loading on the minimum hourly rate set out in the Award for each ordinary hour worked on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. A summary of the applicable rates of pay can be found in the FWO’s pay guide. For further information on public holiday entitlements, see the Public Holidays section below.

What are the rules around overtime?

Overtime is paid for all time worked by any employee:

• Outside the spread of hours set out above (5.00 am to 11.00 pm Monday to Friday; 6.00 am to 9.00 pm Saturday and Sunday)
• In excess of an average of 38 hours per week over a period of 4 weeks; or
• In excess of 10 hours on any day.

Part-time employees are also paid overtime rates for all time worked in excess of their agreed pattern of hours.

Overtime rates

Where an employee works overtime, the following rates apply:

• Monday to Saturday—150% of the minimum hourly rate for the first 2 hours and 200% of the minimum hourly rate after 2 hours; and
• Sunday—200% of the minimum hourly rate.
• Public holiday— see “Public Holiday” section below.

Casual employees do not receive a casual loading on top of these rates, i.e. they are paid the same rates as full-time and part-time employees.

An overtime meal allowance is also payable where an employee is required to work overtime for more than one and a half hours immediately after their ordinary hours of work.

Break between shifts

An employee is entitled to a minimum 10 hour break between shifts. An employee required by the employer to resume work without having a break of at least 10 consecutive hours between shifts (including overtime worked on either shift), must be paid at the rate of 200% of the minimum hourly rate for all time worked until they have had a break from work of at least 10 hours.

However, an employee is not entitled to be paid at the rate of 200% if they have worked three consecutive hours or less prior to the commencement of a break between shifts.

Time off instead of payment for overtime

The Award allows employees and employers to agree in writing to take time off in lieu (“TOIL”) instead of receiving payment for overtime, subject to the following conditions:

• A written agreement must be made for each instance of overtime that will be taken as time off instead of being paid.
• Each agreement must state the following:
  • the number of overtime hours it covers and when those hours were worked;
  • that the employer and employee agree that the employee may take time off instead of being paid for the overtime for those hours;
  • that the employee may request payment for any untaken overtime at any time, and the employer must pay the overtime at the rate applicable to when it was worked;
  • that any such payment must be made in the next pay period following the request.
• The period of time off that an employee is entitled to take is the same as the number of overtime hours worked. For example, an employee who worked two overtime hours is entitled to two hours’ time off.
• Time off must be taken within the period of six months after the overtime is worked, at a time agreed between the employee and employer.
• If the employee requests payment instead of taking time off, the employer must pay the overtime at the applicable overtime rate in the next pay period after the request.
• If the time off is not taken within six months, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime at the applicable overtime rate in the next pay period.
• On termination of employment, any untaken TOIL must be paid at the overtime rate applicable when the overtime was worked.

Understanding employee breaks

Unpaid meal breaks

Employees must be provided with an unpaid meal break between 30 minutes and 60 minutes no later than five hours after the commencement of their shift. Employees must be provided with a second unpaid meal break if they work five hours after their first meal break.

An employee required to work through a meal break must be paid 200% of the minimum hourly rate for all time worked until a meal break is allowed.

Paid rest breaks

Employees must be provided with a paid ten minute rest break during the parts of their shift before and after their meal break. Casual employees that work three hours or less are not entitled to a paid rest break.

Payment of wages

Employees must be paid either weekly or fortnightly, and can only be paid monthly where this is agreed with the majority of employees.

Minimum rates pay

A summary of the minimum rates of pay can be found in the FWO’s pay guide. These rates generally increase on 1 July each year.

Higher duties

An employee required to perform duties at a higher classification than they usually work must be paid at the higher classification rate for the hours worked at that level.

Allowances

The Award entitles employees to the allowances set out below. A summary of the specific amounts for each allowance is available in Schedule C of the Award. These allowances typically increase on 1 July each year.

(a) Leading hands and supervisors allowance

An employee at classification Level 4A or below in charge of employees must be paid an allowance calculated on the number of employees they supervise.

(b) Broken shift allowance

An employee working a rostered broken shift must be paid a daily allowance along with an additional expense-related allowance for excess fares.

(c) First aid allowance

An employee who is rostered by an employer to be on first aid duty at a particular time must be paid an extra allowance per day.

(d) Meal allowance

An employee required to work overtime for more than one and a half hours immediately after their ordinary hours of work must be paid a meal allowance unless the employer provides a meal for the employee.

(e) Vehicle allowance

An employee who, by agreement with their employer, uses their own motor vehicle or motorcycle in the performance of duties must be paid a per-kilometre allowance.

(f) Uniforms and protective clothing

Where an employee is required to wear specific clothing as part of their role, the employer must reimburse the employee for the reasonable cost of:

• Purchasing the clothing; and
• Laundering or dry cleaning the clothing

These rules do not apply if the clothing is supplied by the employer at no cost to the employee or if the employer arranges and pays for their cleaning. Where the clothing is provided by the employer, it will remain the property of the employer.

(g) Travelling time and fares

An employee who is required by their employer to travel from one place of work to another must be reimbursed by the employer for all fares necessarily incurred by the employee.

All time spent travelling in such travel counts as working time and must be paid at the applicable rate (i.e. travel on Saturday paid at Saturday rate, etc.).

(e) Sleepover allowance

Sleepover is a continuous period of eight hours during which an employee is required to remain at the workplace, sleep on the premises, and be available to deal with any urgent situation which cannot be handled by another employee or delayed until after the sleepover period.

The employer must take all reasonable steps to ensure the employee can sleep at the workplace comfortably, including providing a bed, privacy and access to the bathroom, toilet, and meal facilities at no cost to the employee.

An employee may only be required to perform a sleepover if:

• There is a mutual agreement between the employee and the employer, with at least one week’s notice provided (except in emergencies); and
• The sleepover consists of 8 continuous hours.

The sleepover allowance compensates the employee at a flat rate equivalent to three hours’ pay at the ordinary rate. This covers the sleepover period and up to two hours of necessary work performed during this period. Any work exceeding two hours must be paid at overtime rates in addition to the allowance.

An employee on a sleepover shift can’t be made to work more than eight hours either before or after their sleepover. Longer hours may only be worked by mutual agreement under a pre-arranged workplace arrangement designed to provide longer continuous rest periods, provided it does not adversely affect employee health or safety.

Leave and public holidays

Annual leave is provided for in the National Employment Standards, i.e. permanent employees get four weeks annual leave.

Annual leave loading

Employees are entitled to be paid an annual leave loading of 17.5% of their minimum rate of pay whenever they take annual leave.

Annual leave in advance

The Award allows employees and employers to agree for annual leave to be taken in advance of it accruing. It also permits any outstanding annual leave to be deducted from an employee’s final pay upon termination.

Close-down

If an employer intends to shut down all or part of its operations for an annual shutdown (e.g. at Christmas or New Year), specific notice and consultation requirements apply:

• The employer must give the affected employees one month’s written notice of the temporary shutdown period, unless a shorter period is agreed between the employer and the majority of relevant employees.
• Any employee engaged after this notice is given must be advised of the shutdown in writing as soon as reasonably practicable.

If an employee has accrued sufficient annual leave, the employer may direct the employee to take a period of annual leave during the temporary shutdown period.

If an employee does not have sufficient annual leave accrued, the employer and employee may agree in writing for the employee to take leave without pay during part of the shutdown period. The employee cannot be directed to take leave without pay without their agreement.

Excessive leave accruals 

An employee is considered to have an excessive leave accrual when they have accrued more than 8 weeks of paid annual leave. In such cases, either the employer or the employee may initiate discussions to genuinely seek an agreement on how to reduce the excess leave balance.

Excessive leave accruals: Direction by employer that leave be taken

Where the employer has attempted to, but not been able to reach an agreement with the employee to reduce excessive leave, the employer may issue a written direction requiring the employee to take one or more periods of paid annual leave, subject to the following conditions.

The direction must:

• not reduce the employee’s remaining annual leave balance to less than six weeks, taking into account any other agreed leave arrangements;
• not require the employee to take any period of paid annual leave of less than one week;
• require leave to start no sooner than eight weeks and no later than 12 months after the direction is issued;
• not conflict with any existing leave arrangements;
• allow the employee to request to take annual leave in the ordinary way, in which case the employer’s direction will cease to apply.

Excessive leave accruals: Request by employee for leave

Where an employee has attempted but not reached an agreement with the employer to reduce excessive leave, they may submit a written request to take one or more periods of paid annual leave.

An employee may only make such a request if:

• they have had an excessive leave accrual for more than 6 months; and
• the employer has not already directed them to take leave that would otherwise reduce their excessive leave balance.

The employee’s request must:

• not result in their leave balance dropping below 6 weeks (taking into account any other agreed leave));
• be for a minimum of one week;
• propose that the leave start no sooner than 8 weeks and no later than 12 months from the date the request is made; and
• not conflict with any existing agreed leave arrangements.

The employer must approve any leave requested in accordance with these conditions.

Cashing out annual leave

Cashing out of annual leave is permitted by the Award, provided the following conditions are met:

• There is a written agreement between the employer and employee;
• The agreement must not reduce the employee’s remaining annual leave balance to less than 4 weeks.
• The maximum amount of annual leave that can be cashed out in a 12 month period is 2 weeks.

Other leave

The following other leave is provided for under the National Employment Standards:

• Personal/carer’s leave
• Compassionate leave
• Parental leave and related entitlements
• Community service leave
• Paid family and domestic violence leave

All employees (including casual employees) will also be entitled to long service leave under relevant state-based legislation.

Public Holidays

Public holiday entitlements are provided for in the National Employment Standards, i.e. that employees who would ordinarily work on a public holiday are entitled to be absent and paid at their base rate of pay, but that employees can be requested to work on a public holiday where this is reasonable.

Casual employees are not entitled to be paid for absence on a public holiday.

The Award allows employers and employees to agree to substitute another day for a day that would otherwise be a public holiday.

Where a full-time or part-time employee is required to work on a public holiday or a substituted day, they must be paid at 250% of the minimum hourly rate. The minimum engagement on a public holiday is four hours’ work.

Casual employees who work on a public holiday must be paid the minimum hourly rate set by the Award, plus a 30% loading, and must be paid for a minimum of three hours work.

Consultation and dispute resolution

The Award provides that employers must consult employees about major changes in the workplace and changes to rosters or hours of work.

There are also provisions about resolving disputes concerning the Award, including the ability to apply to the Fair Work Commission for assistance.

Notice of termination

The Award states that employers must give the notice periods set out in the National Employment Standards when terminating the employment of permanent employees. These are set out below.

Employee’s period of continuous service with the employer at the end of the day the notice is given.	Period of notice
Not more than 1 year	1 week
More than 1 year but not more than 3 years	2 weeks
More than 3 years but not more than 5 years	3 weeks
More than 5 years	4 weeks

An additional one week’s notice must be given where the employee has at least two years continuous service and is at least 45 years of age.

The notice of termination required to be given by an employee is the same as that required of an employer, except that the employee does not have to give additional notice based on the age of the employee.

Employees who do not give sufficient notice

If an employee who is at least 18 years old does not give the period of notice required under the Award, then the employer may deduct from wages due to the employee under this Award an amount that is no more than one week’s pay for the employee, so long as this is reasonable.

Deductions cannot be made from National Employment Standards entitlements.

Job search entitlement

Where an employer has given notice of termination to an employee, the employee must be allowed time off without loss of pay up to one day for the purpose of seeking other employment.

What are the rules around redundancy?

Redundancy pay is provided for in the National Employment Standards, i.e. where the employer has 15 or more employees, permanent employees are entitled to the following amount of redundancy pay:

Period of continuous service	Redundancy pay
At least 1 year but less than 2 years	4 weeks
At least 2 years but less than 3 years	6 weeks
At least 3 years but less than 4 years	7 weeks
At least 4 years but less than 5 years	8 weeks
At least 5 years but less than 6 years	10 weeks
At least 6 years but less than 7 years	11 weeks
At least 7 years but less than 8 years	13 weeks
At least 8 years but less than 9 years	14 weeks
At least 9 years but less than 10 years	16 weeks
At least 10 years	12 weeks

The Award also sets out specific provisions that apply when an employee is made redundant, including:

• Transfer to lower paid duties;
• Giving employees the rights to end their employment period early if being made redundant;
• Having paid time off to look for a new job.

Classification definitions

There are seven employee classification levels within the Award. These dictate the minimum wage to be paid to the employee. Minimum wages are stated in clause 15 of the Award. There are reduced rates for employees 19 years or younger.

Each level reflects a clear progression in skills, qualifications, and responsibility, helping employers classify employees correctly and ensure compliance with pay and employment standards. The seven classification levels are outlined below.

Level 1

Employees at this level are new to the industry and work under direct supervision, following specific instructions and established procedures. After appropriate in-house training, they perform a range of basic operational or support duties designed to build practical skills and experience.

Typical duties at this level may include:

• Front-of-house and reception tasks such as taking bookings, responding to membership or customer enquiries, selling products, and assisting with general activities or events;
• General tidying/cleaning of immediate work area;
• Assisting more senior employees with routine tasks (excluding cooking or direct customer service unless as part of supervised training);
• Performing simple clerical or administrative support duties, including switchboard or information desk assistance;
• Helping in food preparation areas — cleaning equipment and utensils, assembling ingredients, or maintaining hygiene standards;
• Setting up and clearing tables, collecting crockery and glassware, and basic tidying of customer areas;
• Carrying out general cleaning, gardening, or labouring tasks;
• Attending door, cloakroom, or car park duties (not involving cash handling);
• Assisting qualified tennis coaches during classes or sessions; and
• Supporting swimming and water safety instruction under direct supervision as part of structured training.

Note: An employee is classified at Level 2 or above if their duties include being responsible for the provision of any part of swimming and water safety teaching without being directly supervised as part of structured training/learning.

Level 2

Employees at this level have gained practical experience and training that allow them to work more independently and take on responsibilities beyond those of a Level 1 employee.

An employee is classified at Level 2 if they have:

• Completed 456 hours training or 6 months’ employment at Level 1;
• Obtained a swim and water safety teacher or coaching qualification and are responsible for delivering any part of swimming and water safety instruction without direct supervision; or
• Holds a Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation.

Level 2 employees perform work consistent with their training and experience, following established instructions and procedures. They may work individually or as part of a team and are primarily engaged in one or more of the following areas:

• Assisting with classes, coaching session, and general activity coordination in a centre;
• Attending to equipment and displays, e.g. pool attendant, pool plant operating, including basic pool plant duties (e.g. water quality testing) unless this work is performed by an employee at a higher classification level;
• Providing customer advice, sales and services;
• Performing clerical duties such as data entry or operating a switchboard or paging system;
• Program/ticket selling and general sales involving receipt of monies and giving change, including operation of cash registers, use of electronic swipe input devices;
• Laundry and/or cleaning duties involving the use of cleaning equipment and/or chemicals;
• Maintaining general presentation of grounds;
• Door duties, attending a cloak room or car park;
• Serving from a snack bar, buffet or meal counter;
• Supplying, dispensing or mixing of liquor, including cleaning of bar area and equipment, preparing the bar for service, taking orders and serving drinks;
• Non-cook duties in a kitchen;
• Delivering beginner swimming and water safety lessons (without direct supervision), holding the following competencies or equivalent qualifications:
  • SISCAQU002 Perform basic water rescues
  • SISCAQU008 Instruct water familiarisation, buoyancy and mobility skills
  • SISCAQU009 Instruct water safety and survival skills
  • SISCAQU010 Instruct swimming strokes
    (These reflect the ASQA-approved skill set for Swimming and Water Safety Teachers. Any updates by ASQA apply automatically.)
• Coaching beginner swimmers, such as mini or junior squads, with a recognised Junior or Assistant Coach qualification;
• Coaching beginner tennis or supporting tennis coaches in class delivery, after completing an introductory coaching course; or
• Coaching gymnastics with a current Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation or equivalent.

Level 3

At this level, employees take on greater responsibility for program delivery, supervision, and operational duties, building on the foundational skills gained at Levels 1 and 2. They work under general supervision and are responsible for performing duties within clearly defined areas, following established guidelines and procedures.

An employee at this level may perform a wide range of duties associated with the day-to-day operations of a fitness, leisure, or recreation centre, or may hold a Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation. They are also capable of performing duties classified at Levels 1 and 2 and may be required to supervise or support junior staff.

An employee at this level may also be:

• A swimming and water safety teacher who:
  • holds current qualifications with the relevant Industry Competencies; and
  • Has either completed 12 hours per year of recognised workshops and 250 hours of paid swimming and safety teaching under this Award and who holds a second recognised instructing qualification; or
  • Has delivered 350 hours of paid swimming and water safety teaching under this Award;
• A coach of beginner swimmers (including mini and junior squads), being a holder of current recognised “Bronze Licence for Coaching” swimming coaching qualification or equivalent; or
• A pool lifeguard who has been appointed to the position of pool lifeguard by the employer and has completed a nationally-recognised Lifeguarding qualification; or
• A holder of a current Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation or equivalent who has participated in 12 hours per year of recognised professional development and performed 1500 hours of coaching.

Level 3A

At this level, employees continue to perform the duties of a Level 3 employee but hold additional qualifications that reflect a higher level of technical skill and professional expertise. They use this advanced knowledge to deliver specialised coaching or fitness services within their area of qualification.

An employee at this level:

• Performs the duties of a Level 3; and
• Holds one of the following qualifications:
  • Fitness Industry or Sport Coaching (specialising in tennis) AQF Certificate Level III qualification (or equivalent) relevant to the classification in which they are employed; or
  • In respect to gymnastics coaches, a current Gymnastics Coach Accreditation together with a Sport Coaching AQF Certificate Level III; and
• Utilises the skills and knowledge gained through their AQF Certificate Level III qualification in the performance of their duties.

Level 4

An employee at this level works under limited supervision and broad guidance, exercises initiative and judgment in the performance of their duties. They are experienced professionals who can independently manage key aspects of centre operations or specialist programs. Their work is reviewed only intermittently and they may also provide direction or support to other staff.

Employees at this level may perform a range of operational, instructional, or supervisory duties, or hold a Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation.

An employee at this level may also be:

• A swimming and water safety teacher who:
  • Holds current qualifications with the Industry Competencies; and
  • Has completed 12 hours per year of recognised workshops and 500 hours of paid swimming and water safety teaching under this Award, and holds a third recognised teaching qualification, or
  • Has delivered 700 hours of paid swimming and water safety teaching under this Award;
• A coach of beginner swimmers (including mini and junior squads) who:
  • Holds a current recognised “Bronze Licence for Coaching” swimming coaching qualification or equivalent; and
  • Has completed 12 hours per year of recognised workshops, 500 hours of coaching beginners and attended a recognised seminar/conference within the past 12 months; or
  • Has delivered 700 hours of coaching to beginner swimmers.
• A senior pool lifeguard who:
  • Holds industry-recognised pool lifeguard qualifications as detailed in the Award; and
  • Has been appointed by the employer to lead a team of qualified pool lifeguards, and/or persons undertaking a nationally-recognised course of lifeguarding to become pool lifeguards; or
• A gymnastics coach who:
  • Holds a current Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation; and
  • Has participated in 12 hours per year of recognised professional development and 3,000 hours of coaching gymnastics.

Level 4A

Employees at this level perform the duties of a Level 4 employee but possess advanced qualifications that reflect a higher level of technical skill, professional knowledge, and instructional expertise. They apply these competencies to deliver specialised coaching or fitness programs with greater autonomy and responsibility.

An employee at this level:

• Performs all duties of a Level 4 employee; and
• Holds one of the following qualifications:
  • A Fitness Industry or Sport Coaching (specialising in tennis) AQF Certificate Level IV qualification or equivalent) relevant to the classification in which they are employed; or
  • For gymnastics coaches, a current Gymnastics Australia Coach Accreditation together with a Sport Coaching AQF Certificate Level IV; and
• Utilises the skills and knowledge gained from their AQF Certificate Level IV qualification to their day-to-day work; and
• May be employed to carry out work associated with the classification of tennis centre Club Professional.

Level 5

At this level, employees are highly qualified professionals who exercise a significant degree of autonomy, initiative, and judgement in their work. They operate under broad direction and are often responsible for developing programs, leading specialist activities, and mentoring other staff. Employees at this level may also supervise Level 4 employees when required.

An employee at this level:

• Holds a Fitness Industry or Management (specialising in tennis) or Sport Coaching AQF Diploma level or equivalent relevant to their role;
• Utilises the skills and knowledge derived from the above qualification to deliver high-level coaching, fitness, or management programs;
• Is employed to carry out work associated with the classification of Fitness Trainer, Fitness Specialist, tennis centre Master Club Professional or tennis centre High Performance Coach; and
• Has demonstrated an ability to train or develop programs for special groups.

Level 6

Employees at this level hold supervisory or specialist operational roles and are responsible for coordinating staff and ensuring smooth day-to-day business operations. They work independently, using sound judgement and leadership to maintain service standards and operational efficiency.

Typical duties at this level may include:

• Supervising of front desk operations, including customer liaison and rostering of front office staff;
• Supervising, training and coordinating (including rostering)employees within their respective work area to ensure delivery of service;
• Performing the duties of a trade-qualified employee in a single trade stream and providing trade directions to Level 1 to 5 employees;
• Supervising floor staff; or
• Overseeing the day to day activities and operations of the business.

Level 7

Employees at this level hold senior supervisory or specialist roles with significant responsibility for maintaining service, quality, and operational standards. They exercise a high degree of independent judgement and initiative, drawing on advanced knowledge of both their field and the employer’s operations.

An employee at this level has:

• Considerable experience or study in a relevant field, with specialist knowledge and expertise;
• Formal trade or technical qualifications relevant to the employer in more than one trade or technical field, which are required by the employer to perform the job; or
• Specialist post-trade qualifications which are required by the employer to perform the job and organisation or industry specific knowledge sufficient for them to give advice and/or guidance to their organisation and/or clients.

Indicative duties at this level are:

• General supervision of catering or retail functions;
• Centre administration involving supervision of staff and systems and co-ordinating events; or
• Development of in-house training programs for instructors and co-ordinators.

Employees classified under the provisions of this classification structure will hold the relevant accreditations required by both the Award’s classification descriptors and state and territory legislation permitting work with children (e.g. Child Protection Police Checks).

In the event of any employee losing, having suspended, or being refused such accreditation, they will advise their employer(s) within 14 days of such loss, refusal or suspension.

Need help applying the Fitness Industry Award to your business?

Our HR Advisory team is ready to help with advice and support. Whether you’re unsure about pay classifications, rostering rules or managing weekend penalties, our experts can walk you through the details and help you make confident, informed decisions.

We’re here to make sure you understand what the Award means for your team, without the legal jargon.

And if you haven’t already, download your free copy of the Fitness Industry Award guide. It’s an easy reference to keep on hand whenever you need a clear answer.