Pay increases for thousands of public sector employees in South Australia are set to take effect after the state’s industrial tribunal approved a new enterprise agreement covering salaried workers across government services.
The agreement, endorsed by the South Australian Employment Tribunal, follows a staff ballot last month in which 77 per cent of participating workers supported the offer. The deal affects just under 40,000 employees working in a range of roles throughout the state’s public sector.
The arrangement, known as the SA Public Sector Enterprise Agreement: Salaried, applies to workers including administrative services officers, corrections officers, sheriffs’ officers, lawyers and professional staff. It also covers employees involved in child protection, residential care, housing services and youth support programs.
Under the agreement, workers will receive wage increases of 3.75 per cent backdated to 1 August 2025, followed by a 3.5 per cent rise on 1 July 2026 and a further 3.25 per cent increase on 1 July 2027.
Employees in lower paid roles will receive additional support, with some base salaries increasing by up to $6,000 to address gaps between current pay levels and award rates. The agreement includes a commitment that no worker will receive less than the relevant award rate.
A separate package has been designed for correctional officers, whose work often involves demanding conditions inside the state’s prison system. The agreement also introduces improvements to the way staff move between classifications and includes a commitment to review classification structures during the life of the deal.
Changes to leave arrangements form part of the package as well, with expanded access to paid parental leave for eligible employees.
The deal follows a series of enterprise bargaining agreements negotiated across the South Australian public sector in recent months. Those agreements have covered groups including ambulance officers, firefighters, allied health workers and doctors, along with staff working in aged care, disability services and early childhood education.
Kyam Maher said the government welcomed the approval of the agreement and the wage rises it delivers to workers across the state’s public services.
Maher said the current deal offers improved conditions compared with arrangements under the former government, when wage increases were capped at 1.5 per cent a year.
He said the government’s approach to enterprise bargaining focuses on reaching agreements through negotiation while managing the state budget responsibly.
Public sector wages have been closely watched in recent years as rising living costs place pressure on household budgets across Australia. Governments face the challenge of balancing pay outcomes for workers with broader fiscal pressures.
For employees covered by the new agreement, the approved deal brings clarity on pay and conditions for the next several years while setting the framework for further discussions about classification structures and workplace arrangements.
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