Hospitality salaries
Catering Assistant Salary in Australia
Catering assistants prep, serve and support food service for events, functions and contract catering. It’s flexible work across a huge range of settings, from corporate events to healthcare and education.
Fair Work award base rate
Award base — full-time
$25.61/hr
Award base — casual
$32.01/hr
Full-time (annual)
$50,605/yr
MA000009 base rate (classification L2), effective 1 July 2025. Excludes evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties — verify your classification at fairwork.gov.au.
What catering assistants actually earn on Tavro
Catering Assistant pay — frequently asked questions
What is the award rate for a catering assistant in Australia?
Under the Fair Work Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009), the base rate for a catering assistant is about $25.61/hr full-time, or $32.01/hr casual (which includes the 25% casual loading), as at 1 July 2025. These are base weekday rates — evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties are paid on top.
How much does a catering assistant earn per year?
A full-time catering assistant on the award base rate earns roughly $50,605 per year before penalties, superannuation and overtime. Actual pay varies by venue, experience and hours — on Tavro every listing shows the salary upfront.
Do catering assistants get penalty rates?
Yes. The figures above are base rates only. Under MA000009, hospitality staff are generally entitled to higher rates for evenings, weekends, public holidays and overtime. Check your exact entitlements at fairwork.gov.au.
Looking for catering assistant work?
Every listing shows the salary upfront — no guessing.