Higher pay on the cards for TAFE staff
A new pay offer is on the table for TAFE staff, with provisions for extended hours so students have more flexibility.
More than 1300 TAFE staff have been offered a 13 per cent pay rise over four years, commencing with a four per cent boost from April.
The wage deal has in-principle support from the Australian Education Union after months of negotiations.
It would also pay staff penalty rates for work outside ordinary hours, rather than time in lieu and would make primary carer leave more accessible.
The offer also includes the right to disconnect – removing the expectation that employees take work-related phone calls or emails outside of work hours – which other levels of teachers also secured in their most recent wage deal with the state government.
In a bid to offer more flexible hours for those wanting to study at TAFE, lecturers’ operating hours would be extended from 7am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 5pm on Saturdays, coming into effect from Semester 2, 2026.
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Education Minister Blair Boyer said this was “an important initiative in breaking down barriers to education and training by making courses more accessible”.
“There have been more than 20,600 Fee-Free TAFE enrolments over the past three years, and it’s the TAFE SA workforce who deliver this life-changing economic opportunity for South Australians – that’s why we’re backing them with higher pay and better working conditions,” Boyer said.
The offer still requires Australian Education Union TAFE SA members to endorse the deal before it takes effect.
TAFE Divisional Council chair Rebecca Brooks said the offer was “a major win”.
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“Importantly, our conditions have not only been maintained—they’ve been improved. Preserving leave entitlements was a top priority for members, and we’ve achieved that,” Brooks said.
“We’ve also introduced stronger protections for work-life balance through a clear right to disconnect, responding to growing workload pressures.
“Union delegate rights have been strengthened, giving staff a stronger local voice and better representation in the workplace.”
It comes after the state government negotiated new pay deals with firefighters, ambulance officers, allied health workers and more.
Deals are yet to be reached with the Public Service Association (PSA), which covers corrections officers, and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation.
SA’s prison systems were on lockdown for an unprecedented five days in December, prompted by correction officers walking off the job for better pay and conditions.
A spokesperson said the government is continuing to negotiate “in good faith” with nurses while “productive discussions with the PSA are continuing and we are optimistic of reaching an in-principle agreement soon”.
