Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Sick pay guarantee

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (09:52): We should not have to make the impossible choice between going to work sick and putting food on the table, but that is the reality tens of thousands of Victorians who are in insecure work face every single day. That is why it is so important that the Andrews Labor government has expanded the Australian-first pilot of a sick pay guarantee for casual and contract Victorian workers. Under the recent expansion we are giving thousands more workers in casual and contract jobs the opportunity to access 38 hours of sick and carers pay a year.

The last pandemic shone a light on the cracks in our employment system that mean that thousands of people face this difficult decision any day. Not only does it take them longer to heal, it puts others at risk and costs productivity in our economy. Expanding sick and carers leave schemes is the solution to these issues. More than 400 new jobs are now eligible for the sick pay guarantee, covering everything from child care to early childhood workers, community support workers and even fitness instructors. Workers can apply for sick and carers pay from the day they sign up. People need to have certainty that they can stay home and recover if they are sick or caring for a loved one and still pay the bills, because keeping all Victorians safe and healthy is a top priority of this government.