Return to Work Corporation of South Australia (Constitution of Board of Management) Amendment Bill - Second Reading
Thursday 4 September 2025
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:47): I rise to speak on this bill, which is about fairness, balance and making sure workers always have a voice in the Return To Work scheme. As members here know, the Return To Work scheme is administered by ReturnToWorkSA, established under the Return to Work Corporation of South Australia Act 1994. It is governed by a board of seven members appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the minister.
This board is not just another committee. Its decisions have real, far-reaching consequences. They affect whether an injured worker is treated with dignity, whether a business can keep its doors open and how fairly the cost of the scheme is shared. The board even sets the average premium levy rate that applies across employers. They are weighty responsibilities.
The board is skills based. Workers compensation is complex, involving legal, medical and insurance expertise, but we also need to ensure the voices of the people most affected—employers and employees—are never shut out, as they are key stakeholders. Under the Weatherill government, that was the custom and practice. The board always included both business and worker perspectives. But when the Marshall Liberal government came to office, they broke that tradition. They refused to appoint any representatives from the union movement, and the result, at a crucial time of decision-making during the Summerfield litigation, was that the voices of working people were missing entirely.
This was not just a bad decision, it was an injustice. It silenced the very people whose livelihoods the scheme is meant to protect. Our government is putting that right. We restored worker representation to the board and we have been able to draw upon people who know what it means to stand shoulder to shoulder with working people.
Before entering this place, I worked for a decade as director of Professionals Australia, representing engineers, scientists and other technical professionals. Every day, I saw what happens when working people have no voice: decisions are made about them, not with them. And I saw the difference when they did have a voice: fairer pay, safer workplaces, stronger protections. That is what real representation delivers.
I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me, including my great-grandfather, William Henry Andrews, who was a delegate to the Trades and Labor Council. He knew over a century ago what we know today: that without representation workers are ignored. His generation built the foundation of the union movement in this state, fighting for fairness at a time when working people had virtually no protections at all. I carry that legacy with pride, and it reminds me every day that progress does not just happen, it has to be fought for and it has to be defended. That is what this bill does. It ensures that no government can ever again silence workers' voices on the ReturnToWorkSA board.
The bill amends the act to require that, of the seven members, at least one must represent the interests of workers and at least one the interests of employers. It requires the minister to consult with SA Unions and Business SA before making those appointments, and it has been drafted carefully so that these changes take effect as current terms expire, with no disruption to the board's operations. This is what fairness looks like and what respect for working people looks like, and this is what this government stands for. I commend the bill to the house.
