WORK-LIFE BALANCE

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:14): Thank you, Mr President. My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Can the minister please advise the chamber of the results of the latest Australian work and life index and of the work currently being undertaken by SafeWork SA to deal with work-life balance issues?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:14): I would like to thank the member for her very important question. The South Australian government believes that work-life balance is crucial to ensuring a good quality of life for all South Australians. This is why we have set a target since 2007 in South Australia's Strategic Plan to improve quality of life through the maintenance of a healthy work-life balance. The Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) is a tool used for measuring this target.

AWALI is a national survey of work-life outcomes amongst working Australians undertaken by the Centre for Work + Life, located at the University of South Australia. Since 2010, the Centre for Work + Life has been collecting data biennially, both nationally and in South Australia, comparing and contrasting work-life balance outcomes across various groups of people as defined by geographic location, employment characteristics and social demographics.

Earlier this year, the 2012 AWALI national survey was conducted with a primary focus on six particular themes, which included the use of the recently enacted right to request flexible working arrangements under the National Employment Standards. I am pleased to inform the chamber that the latest national AWALI report was launched here in Adelaide on 28 September by my federal colleague the Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, at a very well-attended event organised by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

Overall, the South Australian results have indicated that the majority of full-time workers in South Australia are satisfied with their work-life balance, with results steady when compared with 2010 state data. However, they also highlight a continued and important need to progress strategies to improve and create a positive change in work-life balance for all South Australians, particularly women, as they face the challenges of balancing family and work commitments.

The results of this AWALI report are timely, as the importance of the work-life balance target was reinforced this year with the development of a new two-year work plan. The new work plan, which was approved by the Work-Life Balance Advisory Committee in March 2012, will see the work-life balance target progressed by undertaking:

practical projects to support the implementation of work-life balance arrangements in South Australian workplaces, through partnerships with employers, unions and government departments;

research into the social and economic arguments for achieving work-life balance; and

public awareness-raising events dealing with the minimum standards and legislation that support flexible live and work arrangements.

Some of the projects that SafeWork SA, as lead agency for this target, is currently undertaking include the Quality Part-Time Work Project which will investigate strategies to better implement flexible working arrangements in the South Australian nursing and midwifery industry.

SafeWork SA, in collaboration with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and members of the Work-Life Balance Advisory Committee, is developing resources that will provide employers in this industry with guidance and tools for implementing better work practices to facilitate quality part-time work. This important project is particularly relevant in light of the future workforce shortages being predicted for the healthcare sector.

The development of an innovations project, which is designed to build a case for the adoption of innovative work practices to support the achievement of work-life balance by South Australian private sector employees, is another key initiative.

In implementing this project SafeWork SA will work directly with a range of employers to provide them with ideas and resources to assist in the practical implementation of work-life balance initiatives best suited to their industries. All these projects continue to be supported by the valuable contributions of the South Australian Work-Life Balance Advisory Committee.