If a worker does the same job as a permanent employee, they must receive the same pay, no more undercutting wages through outsourcing.

Workers doing the same job should receive the same pay. In the South Australian system, employers can still get around the rates of pay which they have agreed with their staff. Employers can bring in workers through a labour hire firm and pay them less to do exactly the same work, because ‘technically’ they work for a different employer.

This is a loophole which exists to undercut fair wages and conditions.
In our public libraries, for example, labour hire workers do the same job as council employees while earning up to $18 less per hour. This two-tiered workforce undermines hard-won conditions and degrades the quality and stability of public services.

The State Government must introduce “Same Job, Same Pay” laws to keep our public services strong and protect workers covered by South Australians workplace laws from being exploited through the labour hire loophole.

Workers deserve to reclaim their personal time without the pressure to monitor and reply to emails or calls after hours.

The rise of digital communication has fundamentally blurred the line between work and home.
In the modern era, work is no longer confined to a physical office or a set roster; instead, many South Australians find themselves ‘tethered’ to their roles via smartphones and laptops. This constant connectivity means workers are often bombarded with work-related emails, calls, and texts well after they have finished for the day.
This inability to escape the stresses of work has a profound impact on well-being. It prevents the mental ‘unplugging’ necessary for recovery, directly contributing to increased rates of burnout, chronic stress, and mental ill health. For many, the expectation to remain ‘on call’ 24/7 erodes personal time and devalues the time meant for rest and family.
South Australians deserve the right to truly clock off. We must ensure that workers can spend quality time with their loved ones without being forced to monitor or reply to unreasonable after-hours communication.
The State Government must deliver a legal right for South Australians to disconnect and spend time with their loved ones without being forced to monitor and reply to unreasonable afterhours communication from work.

Limit back-to-back temporary contracts to ensure workers can actually plan for their future with permanent, secure jobs.

Many South Australians are still employed under rolling fixed-term contracts, even when they’ve worked in the same role for years. When they’re faced with the never-ending insecurity of one temporary job after another, workers can’t plan for their future. With the threat of non-renewal always in the background, workers on back-to back contracts are left vulnerable to exploitation and afraid to enforce their workplace rights.
The State Government must limit the use of fixed-term contracts to deliver permanent jobs for more South Australians.

For too long, South Australia has lagged in securing genuine pay equality for women. The South Australian Government has repeatedly promised to introduce a Gender Equality Bill, highlighting it as a priority in key documents like the State Budget and the Women’s Equality Blueprint.

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South Australians shouldn’t be valued less just because of their gender. On average, women are paid $190 less than men per week in South Australia, adding up to $9,412 less per year. A major driver of this gap is the historical undervaluation of jobs where most workers are women.

Outdated attitudes which discounted complex and demanding jobs as low-value ‘women’s work’ are still infecting minimum rates of pay in the South Australian system. SA Women are paid $190 a week less than men.

The State Government must review South
Australian industrial awards to root out historic gender undervaluation and ensure rates of pay reflect the true value of work.

Taxpayer dollars should only flow to ethical businesses that prove they provide safe, secure, and well-paid local jobs.

The State Government spends around $8.5 billion each year to purchase goods and services. It needs to leverage this extraordinary buying power to help all South Australians prosper.
When the Government spends taxpayer money to procure goods and services, it should prioritise businesses that deliver safe, secure, and well-paid jobs here in South Australia.
Government grants and contracts can’t just go to the lowest bidder when the true cost of a low price is South Australians suffering in unsafe, insecure, and low-paid jobs. Our tender processes must not be a race to the bottom where businesses who do the right thing are undercut by firms that exploit and harm workers.

Bad businesses shouldn’t be in the running for the public money – STOP THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM.

Only ethical businesses should be in the running for Government support. Tenderers should be able to demonstrate a good track record of following employment and safety laws. They should prioritise secure jobs and avoid sham contracting and labour hire arrangements.
They should allow workers to participate actively in their unions and work cooperatively with union delegates. They should support apprentices and trainees to develop their skills. They should be committed to workplace gender equality and supporting workers from diverse backgrounds. To stamp out exploitation further along the supply chain, tenderers should ensure that any subcontractors also meet these standards.
The State Government must establish a Secure Local Jobs Code which sets high standards for companies which want taxpayer money and backs businesses that actually deliver for South Australians.

No worker should be forced to carry the total financial burden of a workplace injury alone.

Plunging injured workers into poverty is an unacceptable
practice in modern Australia. A third of
workers employed on gig platforms have been
injured at work, but these workers receive no
support to help them recover or provide for their
families.
More than half of gig workers suffer from workrelated
stress, anxiety, and mental health issues.
More than half feel pressured to take risks just
to make ends meet or protect their jobs from
‘deactivation’. These workers cannot be left to
carry the burden of workplace injury alone.
Plunging injured workers into poverty is an
unacceptable practice in modern Australia.
In South Australia, our workers’ compensation and
rehabilitation system completely excludes workers
employed on gig platforms.
A third of workers employed on gig platforms have
been injured at work. 55 per cent have experienced
threatening or abusive behaviour. 52 per
cent suffer from work-related stress, anxiety, and
mental health issues. 51 per cent feel pressured
to rush and take risks just to make ends meet or

protect their jobs from ‘deactivation’. Since 2017,
at least 18 food delivery workers have been killed
on the job.
Injured gig workers receive no support to help them
provide for their families or recover. The families
of gig workers who are killed at work cannot
access compensation, instead having to pursue
lengthy test cases in civil court. Gig workers and
their families cannot be left to carry the burden of
workplace injury and death alone.
The State Government must extend the
coverage of ReturnToWorkSA to protect workers
employed on gig platforms.

Provide 10 days of paid reproductive health leave for workers to manage reproductive health, including IVF, menopause, and preventive screenings.

South Australians at every stage of their working lives need time to address symptoms and issues arising from their reproductive health. Young workers are forced to chew up their leave balances or go without pay to pursue IVF or fertility treatments.
Workers experiencing menopause are forced to leave work early with lower retirement savings thanks to a lack of workplace support. Some workers push themselves to burnout working through severe pain from menstruation or endometriosis.
Others need time for preventive screenings and procedures, including prostate screenings and vasectomies.
The State Government must deliver access to 10 days of paid leave for South Australians to manage their reproductive health.

Abolish discriminatory junior pay rates for those over 18 and lift apprentice wages to ensure learning a trade is a viable career path.

Adult workers should be paid adult wages. In South
Australia, workers aged 18 to 21 can be paid up to
30% less than older colleagues for doing exactly
the same job. These young adults face the same
costs for rent, groceries, and bills, yet are expected
to survive on 70% of the minimum wage.
The State Government must remove junior
rates of pay from South Australian industrial
awards and the State Wage Case.
Apprentices and trainees are the backbone of our
future workforce, yet many are forced to live below
the poverty line. Low wages are a major barrier
to completion, leading to high dropout rates in
critical trades.
The State Government must lift apprentice
and trainee pay rates to ensure they are a viable
pathway for all South Australians. Boosting these
rates is an investment in our state’s skills base
and ensures that ‘learning a trade’ doesn’t mean
‘living in hardship’.

Every South Australian parent deserves secure, accessible support regardless of their employment structure.

While the federal “Closing Loopholes” reforms have strengthened protections for many, a significant gap remains for South Australians covered by the state industrial system. For these workers, access to parental leave can still be hindered by technicalities and outdated eligibility requirements that fail to reflect the reality of modern families.
Insecure work and back-to-back contracts often mean that parents are denied leave simply because of how their employment is structured, rather than the length of their service. These loopholes force many to choose between their career and caring for a new child, disproportionately impacting women and contributing to long-term financial insecurity.

State-system workers often face more rigid barriers to entry for parental leave compared to those in the national system, creating a two-tiered standard of support for South Australian parents.

The State Government must increase parental leave entitlements to ensure that they are secure, accessible, and inclusive, providing every South Australian parent with the stability they need to support their growing family.