Fixed-term Employment Contract, Saltbush Arts Festival

Fixed term employment contract template with the end date and its reason

A fixed term employment contract template sets a real end date and the reason the job ends then, so both sides know the employment stops without a dismissal. Since December 2023 an Australian contract also has to stay inside the Fair Work Act limits on length and renewal, and the employee must be given the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement.

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Fixed term employment contract
12 October 2026 to 12 March 2027

Volunteer and Logistics Coordinator

Between Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd and Noah Brightwater

Prepared by
Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd
Date
12 October 2026 to 12 March 2027
Fixed term employment contract · Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd · ABN 28 516 330 947Page 2 of 5
Fixed term employment contract · Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd · ABN 28 516 330 947Page 3 of 5
Fixed term employment contract · Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd · ABN 28 516 330 947Page 4 of 5
Fixed term employment contract · Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd · ABN 28 516 330 947Page 5 of 5
Fixed term employment contract

This contract is made on Monday 28 September 2026 between Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd, ABN 28 516 330 947, of Adelaide SA, called the Employer, and Noah Brightwater of Norwood SA, called the Employee.

12 Oct 2026
Starts
12 Mar 2027
Ends
$78,000
Salary, full year rate
38 a week
Ordinary hours
1. The term and why it ends
1.1
Start and end date
Employment starts on Monday 12 October 2026 and ends on Friday 12 March 2027, a term of five months, unless it ends earlier under clause 6. No notice is needed for it to end on that date.
1.2
The reason for the fixed term
The role exists to recruit, roster and look after the festival’s 260 volunteers and to run site logistics for the 2027 festival, which runs from Friday 26 February to Sunday 7 March 2027. The last week of the term is for pack down, equipment returns and the volunteer report. After that there is no work of this kind until the next festival is planned.
1.3
No expectation of renewal
The Employee should not expect the contract to be extended, renewed or followed by another contract. Nothing said during the term changes that unless it is in writing signed by the Executive Director. Any future festival role would be advertised and filled on merit.
1.4
Fixed term limits
The contract has no option to extend or renew, and runs well under the two year limit the Fair Work Act 2009 sets for fixed term contracts. The Employee has been given the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement with this contract.
2. Position
2.1
Role and reporting
The Employee is employed full time as Volunteer and Logistics Coordinator, reporting to the Festival Producer, Harriet Quan, and works from the festival office at 40 Gilbert Place, Adelaide, and on festival sites.
1
Volunteers
Recruit 260 volunteers by 31 January 2027, run four induction sessions, and roster every shift across the ten festival days.
2
Site logistics
Book and track marquees, staging, fencing and toilets for the three sites, and keep the delivery and collection schedule.
3
Safety
Keep the volunteer sign in records, brief each shift on site hazards and report every incident to the Producer the same day.
3. Hours
3.1
Ordinary hours
Ordinary hours are 38 a week, usually Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.30 pm, until Friday 19 February 2027.
3.2
Festival period
From Saturday 20 February to Sunday 7 March 2027 the Employee works a roster that includes evenings and weekends, published two weeks ahead. Hours worked in that period beyond 76 a fortnight are taken as time off in lieu, hour for hour, in the last week of the term, or paid out at the end if they cannot be taken.
3.3
Reasonable hours
The Employee may refuse to work hours that are unreasonable, taking into account their health and safety, family responsibilities and the notice given, as the National Employment Standards allow. No shift is longer than 12 hours, and there is a break of at least 10 hours between shifts.
4. Pay
4.1
Salary
The Employee is paid at the rate of $78,000 a year, which is $3,000 a fortnight, paid fortnightly in arrears. For the five month term this comes to about $32,500 before tax. The Employer pays superannuation at the rate the law requires, currently 12 per cent, on top of the salary.
4.2
Award coverage
The Employer’s view is that no modern award covers this role, so the National Employment Standards and the national minimum wage set the floor. If an award is found to apply, its minimum terms apply, and the salary is treated as paying the award amounts first.
4.3
Expenses
Use of the Employee’s own car for festival business is reimbursed at the rate in the Employer’s travel policy, on a monthly claim with a log of trips.
5. Leave
5.1
Leave entitlements
Annual leave and personal and carer’s leave accrue progressively under the National Employment Standards. Because of the festival dates, annual leave cannot be taken between 1 February and 7 March 2027 except in an emergency.
5.2
What is paid out at the end
Unused annual leave is paid out in the final pay. Unused personal and carer’s leave is not paid out, as the Act provides.
6. Ending the contract early
6.1
By either party
Either party may end the employment before 12 March 2027 by giving two weeks written notice, or the Employer may pay two weeks salary instead of notice. This applies throughout the term.
6.2
If the festival is cancelled
If the board cancels the 2027 festival, the Employer may end the employment by giving four weeks written notice or pay instead, and pays any time off in lieu and unused annual leave in the final pay.
6.3
Serious misconduct
The Employer may end the employment without notice for serious misconduct, after giving the Employee the allegation in writing and a chance to respond.
6.4
Return of property
On the last day, whenever it falls, the Employee returns the laptop, radios, site keys and volunteer records, and hands over the rosters in their current form.
7. General
7.1
Confidentiality and privacy
The Employee keeps volunteer contact details, medical notes and supplier prices confidential, and uses volunteer information only to run the festival.
7.2
Whole agreement
With this contract the Employee has received the Fair Work Information Statement and the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement. This contract replaces any earlier discussion and can only be varied in writing signed by both parties.

Signing. Each party signs below to accept this contract, including the end date in clause 1.1 and the reason for it in clause 1.2.

For Saltbush Arts Festival Ltd: Celeste Varga, Executive Director
Date
:
Noah Brightwater, Employee
Date
:

Section by section

What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.

Cover
Executive layout cover naming the coordinator role, the parties and the term.
Parties and summary
Saltbush Arts Festival and the employee, with stats for the start, end, salary and hours.
1. The term and why it ends
Start and end dates, the festival reason, no expectation of renewal and the fixed term limits.
2. Position
Role and reporting, and duties for volunteers, site logistics and safety as a numbered list.
3. Hours
Ordinary hours, the festival roster with time off in lieu, and reasonable hours limits.
4. Pay
$78,000 a year rate, about $32,500 for the term, award coverage and expenses.
5. Leave
Leave accrual, the festival leave restriction and annual leave paid out at the end.
6. Ending the contract early
Two weeks notice either way, four weeks if the festival is cancelled, serious misconduct and return of property.
7. General and signing
Confidentiality of volunteer data, the whole agreement and two signature blocks.

How to adapt this document

For a role that covers parental leave, state the name of the absent employee's role rather than the person, and end the contract on the earlier of a fixed date or their return, with notice of the return date. For a project funded by a grant, tie the end date to the funding period and name the funding body, because government funded roles have their own exception to the two year limit. For a part time fixed term role, add the regular hours table from a part time contract, since the award requirements for part time work still apply.

Which law the terms follow

The artifact is written for a South Australian festival company in the national system under the Fair Work Act 2009. The fixed term limits and the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement come from Part 2-9 Division 5 of the Act, and the National Employment Standards set leave, reasonable hours and notice. The contract records the employer's view that no modern award covers the role and says award terms apply if one does.

What makes this document work

The end date carries its reason

Clause 1.2 ties Friday 12 March 2027 to the festival itself, 26 February to 7 March 2027, plus one week of pack down and the volunteer report, after which there is no work of this kind. A stated reason is what makes a fixed term genuine rather than a label on ongoing work.

It stays inside the statutory limits

Clause 1.4 says there is no option to extend or renew and the term is well under the two year limit, and that the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement was given. Clause 1.3 adds that only a signed document from the Executive Director could change the end date.

The festival weeks are planned in advance

Clause 3.2 rosters evenings and weekends from 20 February to 7 March, takes hours over 76 a fortnight as time off in lieu in the last week, and pays out any not taken. Clause 3.3 caps shifts at 12 hours with a 10 hour break, so the busiest weeks are already agreed.

Questions people ask

What are the limits on fixed term contracts in Australia?

From 6 December 2023, a fixed term contract generally cannot run longer than two years including extensions, cannot have an option to extend or renew beyond two years or more than once, and cannot be followed by a new fixed term contract for the same or similar work with substantial continuity. Several exceptions exist, including high income employees.

Does the employer have to give notice when a fixed term contract ends?

Not when it ends on its stated date, because the end was agreed at the start. Clause 1.1 says no notice is needed for the employment to end on 12 March 2027. Notice matters only when either side ends it early, which clause 6 deals with separately.

Can a fixed term contract be ended early?

Only if the contract allows it. Without an early termination clause, ending a fixed term contract early can expose the employer to a claim for the pay left in the term. This contract lets either side end it on two weeks notice, and lets the employer end it on four weeks if the festival is cancelled.

What is the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement?

A document from the Fair Work Ombudsman that employers must give each employee on a new fixed term contract, at the start or as soon as possible afterwards. It explains the limits on fixed term contracts and how disputes about them are resolved. Clauses 1.4 and 7.2 record that it was given.

Is unused annual leave paid out at the end of a fixed term?

Yes. Annual leave accrues during the term and any unused balance is paid out in the final pay, as clause 5.2 says. Personal and carer's leave is not paid out. Clause 5.1 also blocks annual leave in the festival weeks, which is a reasonable business restriction for a role built around one event.

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