Casual vs part-time: what it means for your roster

Hospitality runs on casuals, but "casual" is a legal category, not a vibe — and the rules changed meaningfully in 2024 and 2025. Here's the current state of it, and what it actually changes about rostering.

What makes someone casual now

Since 26 August 2024, an employee is casual if the employment relationship has no firm advance commitment to ongoing work, and they're paid a casual loading or casual rate. What counts is the real substance of the relationship, not the label on the contract: whether they can turn shifts down, whether future work is reasonably likely, whether they work a regular pattern. A "casual" who has worked every Friday and Saturday night for two years on a roster published weeks ahead looks a lot like someone with a firm advance commitment.

What each type costs and promises

• Casual: 25% loading on the base rate instead of paid annual and personal leave. No guaranteed hours — you can roster them for 20 hours one week and none the next. Higher hourly cost, maximum flexibility.
• Part-time: a guaranteed, agreed pattern of hours, paid leave, and lower hourly cost. The trade is commitment: the agreed hours are theirs whether the week is busy or not, and changing the pattern is a consultation, not an edit.

On penalty days the gap narrows — see the table in penalty rates explained — because both types multiply from the same base.

The conversion pathway, since 26 February 2025

The old system where employers had to offer conversion is gone. Now it's employee choice: a casual who has been employed at least 6 months (12 months in a small business of fewer than 15 employees) and believes they no longer fit the casual definition can notify you in writing that they want to convert to permanent. You have 21 days to respond, and can refuse only on limited grounds — fair operational reasons, or that they still genuinely meet the casual definition. The Fair Work Ombudsman's page on casual employment changes has the detail.

What this means for how you roster

Don't churn rosters to dodge conversion — that's both transparent and miserable to work under. Do be deliberate: if someone has, in substance, a fixed pattern you rely on, part-time with a guaranteed pattern is often cheaper (no loading) and more honest. Keep casuals genuinely casual — variable shifts, real ability to decline — and keep availability current so variability is built on what people actually want, not on noise. Minimum shift lengths also differ by type: that's covered in split shifts and minimum engagement.