The State Government is introducing a safety net for casual and contract workers in Victoria to take time off when they are sick or need to care for loved ones.
Victorians who work in casual or other insecure jobs will no longer be forced to choose between a day’s pay and looking after their health, due to the Andrews Labor Government’s Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee.
The Australian-first $245.6 million Sick Pay Guarantee will ensure people will no longer be forced to choose between a day’s pay and looking after their health.
Before the pandemic, many casual and contract workers were forced to choose between a day‘s pay or their health, a decision Premier Daniel Andrews does not believe they should have had to make.
“When people have nothing to fall back on, they make a choice between the safety of their workmates and feeding their family. The ultimate decision they make isn’t wrong – what’s wrong is they’re forced to make it at all,” Mr Andrews said.
“The last two years have shown just how difficult that choice can be for casual workers – so we’re doing what we can to make sure it’s a choice they don’t have to make.”
Around one in five casual and contract workers work more than one job to earn a living – many without access to sick and carer’s pay.
Workers are now able to register for the two-year pilot program, and it is anticipated that more than 150,000 workers will be eligible in this first phase.
Eligible casual and contract workers in certain occupations will receive up to five days a year of sick or carer’s pay at the national minimum wage.
Occupations included in the first phase include hospitality workers, food trades workers and preparation assistants such as chefs and kitchen hands, supermarket and supply chain workers, retail and sales assistants, aged and disability care workers, cleaners and laundry workers and security guards.
The government expects the scheme will reduce workplace injuries and illness, general productivity improvements from healthier workers, and lower staff turnover rates.
The program will be administered directly to workers, minimising the impost on businesses so they can focus on economic recovery.
The Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee builds on the temporary measures implemented during the pandemic, including the COVID-19 Worker Support Payment (now the Australian Government’s Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment) and the COVID-19 Test Isolation Payment.
State opposition leader Matthew Guy opposed the plan on 3AW.
Whatever the reason you can’t keep stinging small businesses and you can’t keep stinging the families that run the business with more and more tax,” Mr Guy said.
Mr Guy further said he would not support any more new taxes on small businesses and families.
“Those people have suffered enough – they’ve been without an income for the best part of two years, now the state government in order to play politics wants to put another tax on those families,” he said.
“For the premier to put yet another new tax on them after locking them out of having an income for two years I think is pretty unfair.”
To find out more about the scheme, visit vic.gov.au/sick-pay-guarantee and to apply for a payment if you’re eligible visit service.vic.gov.au.
