You run three plants. One sits in Brooklyn in Melbourne’s west, one in Geelong and one in Horsham. All three need boners and slaughterers before the autumn kill. Under the Meat Industry Labour Agreement, the same worker gets a different deal at each gate. Horsham can pay 90 per cent of the income threshold. Brooklyn and Geelong cannot. Geelong and Horsham can nominate a 52 year old for permanent residence. Brooklyn cannot. So the first decision is not who to hire. It is which postcode the position sits in.
Short answer: Home Affairs sorts every postcode into three regional categories, and the meat agreement hangs its concessions on that sort. Category 1 gets the standard pay floor, age limit and advertising. Category 2 adds the under 55 age cap and asks for two national advertisements. Category 3 adds a pay floor of 90 per cent of the threshold. Therefore, check the category before you draft an offer.
Start with the postcode, not the candidate
The Department publishes the categories on its regional postcodes page. Category 2 covers nine cities and major regional centres, Geelong among them. Category 3 covers every other regional postcode in the table. Category 1 is the major cities on neither list, including Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Consequently, most abattoirs and boning rooms sit in Category 3. The terms below were checked on 13 October 2026 on the Home Affairs page and in the template agreement. Our guide to labour agreements in 2026-27 explains how a template agreement differs from a bespoke one.
| Term | Category 1 (Brooklyn) | Category 2 (Geelong) | Category 3 (Horsham) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay floor, 482 and 186 | Market rate and the full Core Skills Income Threshold | Same as Category 1 | Market rate and at least 90 per cent of the threshold |
| Age cap, 494 and 186 | Standard program age rules | Under 55 at lodgement | Under 55 at lodgement |
| Age cap, 482 | None | None | None |
| Labour market testing | Standard program evidence | Two separate attempts with national reach in the last 12 months | Two separate attempts in the last 12 months, one with national reach |
| English, all three visas | IELTS 5.0 overall, no component minimum, or equivalent | Same | Same |
The pay floor in dollars
For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, the Core Skills Income Threshold is $79,423. In Brooklyn and Geelong, every Skilled Meat Worker on a 482 or a 186 must earn at least that figure. They must also earn the market rate for the role. In Horsham, however, guaranteed earnings can sit at 90 per cent of the threshold. That is $71,480.70. Guaranteed or regularised overtime can count towards it. Still, the Australian worker doing the same job sets the ceiling on any discount. Every position must be full time. Moreover, a worker on an annualised salary needs a top-up if an Australian worker earns more over the year. Our guide to the three salary tests on the 482 explains how the market rate is proved.
Two national ads, or one
Labour market testing evidence must accompany every 482 and 494 nomination. In Brooklyn, you follow the standard program rules. In Geelong, the template asks for two separate recruitment attempts with national reach. In Horsham, you still need two attempts. However, only one must reach a national audience. The template names Seek, Indeed, Workforce Australia, an industry website, national print and national radio as examples. The other attempt can be local. Every attempt must fall within the 12 months before the nomination. Our article on the advertising rules for a 482 nomination covers the standard evidence.
Under 55, and IELTS 5.0
There is no age limit for a 482 under the meat agreement. For the 494 and the 186, Brooklyn applies the standard program age rules. In Geelong and Horsham, the worker must be under 55 when the visa application is lodged. English is the same everywhere. A worker who cannot meet the standard score needs IELTS 5.0 overall, or an equivalent result. No component carries a minimum. For the 186 only, a current 457 holder never asked for English at grant can show functional English.
One occupation, one code, one assessor
The agreement covers a single occupation, the Skilled Meat Worker. It has no ANZSCO code. Instead, the nomination uses the administrative code 070499. The role combines the tasks of a Slaughterer with those of a Meat Boner and Slicer. Labouring duties sit outside it, apart from restricted duties for safety for up to a week.
Before any nomination, a MINTRAC registered assessor or a Commonwealth approved assessor must verify the worker. The assessor needs a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and meat processing experience. The benchmark is a skill level matching the Certificate III in meat processing. In addition, the assessment must be videotaped in real time, with identity documents shown on camera. The sponsor keeps the video, because Home Affairs can ask for it later.
Experience by visa
| Visa | Experience the template requires |
|---|---|
| 482 Skills in Demand | Two years of skilled work at an acceptable meat processing establishment; or nine months in Australia on a 457 or 482 at an Australian plant; or one year in Australia on another temporary visa at an Australian plant |
| 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional | The assessment above plus two years of recent and relevant experience, Australian or offshore |
| 186 Employer Nomination Scheme | Three years of full time work in Australia in the occupation, and three years directly with the sponsor as a primary 457 or 482 holder before the nomination |
The 186 route is the long one. A worker who arrives on a 482 in 2026 can expect the permanent nomination in 2029 at the earliest. On the other hand, a worker already assessed under this agreement rarely needs a second assessment. The Department can still require one. It names two triggers: doubts about the first assessment, or a break in employment of more than three months.
Eight obligations the template adds
Schedules 5 and 6 of the template vary the standard sponsor obligations. They run from the worker’s first day until the worker leaves or holds a different substantive visa. In summary, the sponsor must:
- pay salary, tax and superannuation directly, from an Australian bank account;
- never recover recruitment costs or the worker’s English testing or training;
- offer any accommodation or board as optional, at a fair market rate;
- deduct from wages only under an approved Deductions Plan, with written consent;
- run induction training on arrival covering equipment, line speed and safety;
- verify within two days of arrival that the person who arrived is the person assessed;
- tell the Department within one month if the worker lacks the skills, with a remedial plan;
- use only reputable and licensed labour hire firms to source workers, who then work directly for the sponsor.
Two of those rules bite most often. The agreement sits on top of regulation 2.87. So costs a standard sponsor cannot pass on stay with the processor too. Our guide to sponsor costs you cannot pass on lists them. Then there is the labour hire rule. A labour hire company can find the worker. However, it cannot employ the worker and place them at your plant.
What the Commonwealth charges
Home Affairs names no endorsing body and charges nothing to request the agreement. MINTRAC keeps the register of assessors and publishes no per-worker fee. So the figures below are the ones you can budget today.
| Item | Charge, checked 13 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Request for a labour agreement | No charge |
| Standard business sponsorship, if you also sponsor outside the agreement | $420 |
| 482 nomination | $330 |
| 186 nomination | $540 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482 | $1,200 a year under $10 million turnover, otherwise $1,800 a year |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 186 | $3,000 one-off under $10 million turnover, otherwise $5,000 |
| 482 visa application, Labour Agreement stream, primary applicant | From $4,015 |
| 186 visa application, Labour Agreement stream, primary applicant | From $6,140 |
The 494 has its own charges on the Home Affairs pricing page. Check them on the day you budget, because the Department reviews charges each July.
Frequently asked questions
Can a plant in Geelong use the 90 per cent salary concession?
No. Geelong is a Category 2 location, so the full Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate apply. The 90 per cent concession applies only in Category 3 postcodes.
Do I have to advertise before every nomination under the meat agreement?
Yes. Evidence of labour market testing must accompany every 482 and 494 nomination. In Category 2 you need two separate attempts with national reach in the past 12 months. In Category 3 one of the two can be local.
Can a 52 year old boner get the 494 or the 186 under the meat agreement?
In a Category 2 or 3 location, yes, provided the worker is under 55 when the visa application is lodged. In Category 1 the standard program age rules apply. The 482 has no age limit at all.
Does a worker moving from the 482 to the 186 need a second MINTRAC assessment?
Usually not, if the first assessment supported a 457 or 482 grant under this agreement. The Department can still require one if it doubts the earlier assessment. A break in employment of more than three months is the other trigger.
Can a labour hire company employ the worker and place them at my plant?
No. The template lets a reputable and licensed labour hire or recruitment firm source the worker. Once employed, the worker must work directly for the approved sponsor. The sponsor must also show how it monitors the firm.
Visas, the occupation code, English, salary, age and experience terms verified 13 October 2026 on the Department of Home Affairs page Industry labour agreements and in the Department’s Meat Industry Labour Agreement template, Schedules 3 to 6. Regional categories from the Department’s designated regional area postcodes page. The Core Skills Income Threshold and the Commonwealth charges are as at 1 July 2026 on Home Affairs visa pricing.
General information as at 13 October 2026. The three plants are a fictional example. Not legal advice.