Australia lifts McDonald’s crew pay as award wages rise 4.75 percent

McDonald’s crew members in Australia saw their pay floor move automatically when the national wage reset kicked in, with modern award minimum wages rising 4.75 percent from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The Fair Work Commission’s 2026 Annual Wage Review decision came on 2 June 2026, and the Fair Work Ombudsman updated its pay guides and Pay and Conditions Tool for the new rates.

For workers on the grill, at the counter, or on delivery runs, the key question is which instrument covers the job. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s minimum wage update set the National Minimum Wage at 1,004.90 Australian dollars a week, or 26.44 Australian dollars an hour, and the pay guides now reflect the new rates for full-time, part-time and casual employees, along with allowances and the most commonly used penalty rates.

The Fast Food Industry Award, MA000003, covers employees taking orders, cooking, selling and delivering fast food. In a McDonald’s restaurant, that award is the most likely starting point unless an enterprise agreement applies instead. Pay guides do not apply where an enterprise agreement covers the employee, and the fast-food award summary does not cover workers who fall under the Restaurant Award, Hospitality Award or Retail Award.

In Australia, the benchmark is public, updated on a set schedule, and tied to classification, shift type and penalty rates. A crew member working evenings, weekends or public holidays can land on a different outcome than a weekday daytime worker in the same store.

For operators, the July reset meant checking payroll settings, confirming classifications and making sure the first eligible pay period after 1 July picked up the new rates. For crew, the increase was built into the award system rather than negotiated store by store.

On 30 June 2025, the Fair Work Commission dealt with a supported bargaining application covering 18 employers and 53 McDonald’s restaurants in the state, where the SDA said more than 5,000 workers would be able to bargain together for an enterprise agreement. The SDA sought above-award wage increases, higher pay at 18 and more predictable hours, while the ACTU said the decision would force McDonald’s to negotiate its first Australian collective agreement in more than a decade.