The four-year agreement provides annual pay-rises and better conditions, recognising the important work that allied health employees do right across South Australia’s health system, providing them with a wage rise above inflation – a total increase of 13.5 per cent over the life of the agreement.

Other conditions also include improved access to professional development allowances, a new allowance for psychologists, regional incentive payments, paid parental leave and an additional week of annual leave for those rostered to work over seven days.

It is the first time that allied health workers have had their own separate enterprise agreement in South Australia, in line with other jurisdictions across the country.

The Allied Health Professionals, Allied Health Assistants and Psychologists Enterprise Agreement covers more than 8,000 workers across the public sector including psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers and medical imaging specialists, podiatrists, radiation therapists, and social workers.

The agreement was endorsed by more than 80 per cent of employees who took part in a ballot last month, following months of good-faith negotiations between the Government and worker representatives including the Health Services Union.

This new agreement is now in effect after it was approved by the South Australian Employment Tribunal, meaning public sector allied health workers will soon start to see real wage increases – with the first increase backdated to May 2025.

As well as negotiating better pay and conditions, the Government has also recruited 385 allied health workers above attrition since coming to office.