Liquorland Pay Rates 2026: Store, Casual & Junior Pay
What Liquorland workers should be paid in 2026 — the General Retail Industry Award floor by classification and age, casual loading, penalties, and where the Liquorland enterprise agreements sit.
Payroll & Compliance Editor · Registered BAS Agent, Cert IV Accounting & Bookkeeping
Who covers Liquorland workers — award or agreement?
Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars make up Coles Liquor, the retail liquor arm of Coles Group. Stores are staffed largely by casual and part-time sales assistants — everyone must be 18 or over to serve alcohol, so the junior ladder stops earlier than in a supermarket — with store and area managers on salary.
Coles Liquor has historically bargained separately from the Coles supermarkets deal, with the General Retail Industry Award 2020 underneath as the floor. Check the employer name and agreement on your payslip; whatever instrument applies, the award figures below are what it must leave you better off than.
The federal awards relevant to Liquorland roles:
- General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, Liquorland (Australia) Pty. Ltd. reported 6,726 employees (part of the Coles Group Limited group, 115,888 employees in total, 30.4% casual and 48.4% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Retail award floor — adults (21 and over)
From 1 July 2026 the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Employee Level 1 (sales assistant, register, replenishment) | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 2 (forklift, higher-skill work) | $28.45/hr | $35.56/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 3 (2IC, opening/closing, keyholder) | $28.89/hr | $36.11/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 4 (department or store management stream) | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
If you're 21 or older and your payslip shows less than Level 1, something is wrong.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Junior rates (under 21)
The General Retail Industry Award pays juniors a percentage of the Level 1 adult rate. From 1 July 2026 the junior minimums are:
- Under 16: $12.51/hr
- 16 years: $13.91/hr
- 17 years: $16.69/hr
- 18 years: $19.47/hr
- 19 years: $22.25/hr
- 20 years (first 6 months with the employer): $25.03/hr
- 20 years (after 6 months — full adult rate): $27.81/hr
Your rate must step up from the first full pay period after each birthday. Casual juniors add the 25% loading on top of these figures. An enterprise agreement's junior scale must leave you better off than this ladder overall.
Weekend and penalty rates
The retail award floor for permanent adult staff outside ordinary spans, at Level 1:
- Saturday: 125% — $34.76/hr
- Sunday: 150% — $41.71/hr
- Public holiday: 225% — $62.57/hr
Casuals are paid 150% of the ordinary rate on Saturday, 175% on Sunday and 250% on public holidays (those percentages already include the casual loading). Overtime for permanents runs at 150% for the first three hours and 200% after. Price a specific roster with our penalty rates calculator.
Does Liquorland have an enterprise agreement?
As at 6 September 2026, our corpus of 14,141 federally registered enterprise agreements holds no current agreement for Liquorland. That usually means one of three things: the employer pays on the award (or on individual contracts above it), the agreement covering you is registered under a different entity name (check the employer name on your payslip and search our agreements database), or — for state public-sector employers — pay is set by a state award or agreement outside the federal register. If you have a copy of an agreement that names Liquorland, it beats the award figures above.
Common retail pay issues at Liquorland
The patterns worth checking on a Liquorland payslip:
- Junior step-ups missed — birthday rises and the 20-year-old six-month step to the full adult rate.
- Level 1 for higher-level work — keyholding, opening/closing, running a department or regularly supervising others is Level 3–4 territory.
- Weekend penalties absorbed — a flat rate covering Saturday and Sunday shifts has to actually beat the penalty mix for your roster.
- Unpaid time — till counts, close-downs, bag checks and stocktake after the doors shut are work time, and short casual shifts must meet the award's three-hour minimum.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
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Official resources
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
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Six years running payroll for a Western Sydney commercial builder before moving to compliance writing and contract payroll. Registered BAS Agent (TPB). Cert IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping. Writes about pay calculations, superannuation, and the 2026 Payday Super rollout. Based in Cabramatta, Sydney.