Firefighters in South Australia have voted strongly to accept a new enterprise agreement that delivers staged wage increases, higher base pay and expanded commitments around training and health monitoring.
The ballot closed this week with 88.5 per cent of participating Metropolitan Fire Service firefighters supporting the State Government’s offer, bringing to an end months of negotiations between the United Firefighters Union of South Australia and the government.
Under the agreement, firefighters will receive a total wage rise of 10.5 per cent spread across three years. Pay will increase by 4 per cent in January 2026, followed by 3.5 per cent in January 2027 and a further 3 per cent in January 2028. In addition, all employees covered by the agreement will receive a $3,000 uplift to base wages, intended to recognise rescue qualifications and advanced skills. Base wages for recruit firefighters will also rise.
Career progression is another feature, with new pay increments introduced for Station Officers, Marine Officers, Communications Officers and Commanders. The changes are designed to create clearer pathways as firefighters move through more specialised or senior roles.
Alongside pay, the agreement places weight on training and health support. The MFS will employ additional staff to develop and deliver training programs, while the government has committed to a broader review of training arrangements during the life of the agreement. Health provisions include medical support, screening and ongoing monitoring services for all employees covered by the deal.
These measures sit alongside recent changes to workers compensation laws passed by Parliament, which expand protections for firefighters diagnosed with work-related cancers. The list of recognised cancers has been broadened to include cervical, uterine, ovarian, penile, thyroid and liver cancers, as well as malignant mesothelioma. The qualifying period for primary site oesophageal cancer has also been reduced from 25 years to 15 years.
Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the agreement reflected the government’s position on public sector wages and frontline services. He pointed to the risks firefighters face, from house fires to major bushfires, and said the deal delivered improved pay while strengthening training and health screening. He also acknowledged the role of the union in negotiations, describing discussions as constructive.
Emergency Services Minister Rhiannon Pearce focused on capability and wellbeing, noting that funding for additional trainers would help ensure firefighters remain prepared for complex emergencies. She also highlighted the expanded health screening, describing it as recognition of the hazards firefighters encounter in their work.
From the union’s perspective, Acting Secretary Peter Russell said the vote showed clear support among members for the outcome. He described the agreement as recognising the growing complexity of modern firefighting and said the wage outcomes reflected the value of that work. Russell placed particular emphasis on the health monitoring program, arguing that early detection of cancers common among firefighters could save lives.
While the agreement has been welcomed by both sides, it will now move to the South Australian Employment Tribunal for formal approval, expected in the coming weeks. Its endorsement adds to a series of recent enterprise agreements finalised across the public sector, including for allied health workers, doctors, aged care and disability services staff, early childhood educators, hospital orderlies and sterilisation technicians.
For firefighters, the deal brings a mix of financial certainty, professional development and health support at a time when emergency services continue to face growing demands linked to population growth, climate pressures and increasingly complex incidents. For the government, it represents another settled negotiation in a crowded industrial landscape, though attention will likely turn to how the promised training reviews and health programs are delivered over the coming years.
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