Australia’s arts workers are finally being recognised by the Fair Work Commission. What changes now?
Adding the word ‘arts’ to the Amusement, Recreation, Events and Arts Award will give the arts sector a safety net – but the details will determine its robustness.
On Friday, the Fair Work Commission announced a provisional decision to include arts workers in the modern award system by adding the word "arts" to the Amusement, Recreation, Events and Arts Award (AREA) 2020. This is a significant milestone for arts workers and their advocates. The Fair Work context refers to legal documents that contain minimum pay rates and conditions of employment, including allowances, overtime, and penalty rates.
The decision is important as arts work is often precarious and low-paid. Historically, there have been few legislated minimum standards for professional working artists and arts workers in Australia, and many employers have offered below minimum wage conditions or excluded workers from basic entitlements like superannuation. This change will impact a range of arts workers, from front-of-house roles to studio technicians, and arts administrators and marketing staff.
However, professional artists will generally not be included, as the award primarily covers arts workers, not artists. The Fair Work Commission's discussion paper highlighted that about 80% of practising artists are non-employees, operating as contractors, freelancers, or sole traders. While this decision is a step towards recognizing arts work within Australia's industrial framework, more comprehensive protections and adequate remuneration for artists are still needed.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
