Fair Work (Worker Entitlements) Amendment Bill
Tuesday 14 October 2025
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (11:21): I rise today to speak in strong support of the Fair Work (Worker Entitlements) Amendment Bill 2025, a bill that delivers on Labor's 2022 election commitment to strengthen workplace protections, defend workers' rights and ensure that fairness remains at the heart of the South Australian economy.
This bill is about more than policy: it is about people. It is about the cleaners, the carers, the tradies, the teachers, the scientists—hardworking South Australians who show up every day, do their job with pride and deserve the security of knowing their entitlements are safe. For too long, some workers have faced uncertainty when their employees go under or when their rights are ignored. This bill fixes that. It enhances protections for accrued entitlements, ensuring that workers get their full leave, superannuation and redundancy payments, even when businesses fail, because no worker should lose what they have earned through no fault of their own.
This legislation also clarifies and simplifies entitlements, making it easier for workers to understand their rights and for employers to meet their responsibilities. Fewer disputes, less confusion and more confidence for everyone in the workplace—that is a real, practical reform. Crucially, the bill strengthens enforcement and penalties, because fairness only works when it is backed up by accountability. Employers who exploit workers, who withhold pay or who fail to meet their obligations will face serious consequences. Workers should not have to fight just to receive what they have rightfully earned.
Importantly, this bill protects casual and gig economy workers, ensuring that even those in non-traditional or precarious work have a safety net. South Australia's workforce is changing, and our laws must change with it. Every worker deserves respect, dignity and certainty. We said in 2022 that we would stand up for working people, and we are doing exactly that.
I have spent 20 years working in the union movement, from organiser to state director, standing shoulder to shoulder with workers in bargaining rooms, during industrial action and in tribunals. I have seen firsthand what happens when the system fails people. I have seen the stress on a member's face when they do not know if the redundancy will be paid or when they have worked years of overtime and been denied what they have earned.
That is why I am proud to be part of a Labor government that values union membership and respects the vital role unions play in protecting working people. Being a union member means having someone in your corner, someone who knows your rights, who will fight for fairness and will not back down when the odds are stacked against you. Union members together built the conditions that so many of us now take for granted: paid leave, safe workplaces, fair pay, superannuation and job security.
Every improvement in this bill builds on that legacy. So, yes, this bill is about entitlements, but it is also about values: solidarity, respect and dignity at work. It is about keeping our promise to the people who keep South Australia running. I commend the minister for bringing forward this important legislation, because when workers are protected, when entitlements are guaranteed and when unions are strong, South Australia is stronger too.
