Metropolitan Fire Service Travel Allowance

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:47): I seek leave to provide a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services regarding the delayed payments for the MFS firefighters.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: On 17 April this year, the South Australian Employment Tribunal ordered the MFS to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of unpaid travel allowances it owes MFS firefighters dating back nearly nine months. It was revealed that, despite thousands of outstanding claims, the government only dedicates an average of 12 hours per week of labour to paying allowances and that binding instructions prevent more staff from being hired to assist the process. The MFS has been given 28 days to repay with interest.

The United Firefighters Union criticised the Malinauskas Labor government for understaffing critical government departments and failing to pass wage theft laws even after raising the issue directly with the minister. My questions to the Minister for Emergency Services are:

1. How much does the MFS owe South Australian firefighters and how much interest has it been ordered to pay?

2. When will the government fulfil its election commitment to pass wage theft laws?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:48): I thank the member for her question. As has been highlighted, this was not a case of wage theft because wage theft is typically understood as the intention of underpayment of a worker and their entitlements, for example, if they were doing this deliberately.

Steps were taken the second this was discovered, as I am advised, and processes were put in place to ensure this could be rectified. I know the MFS has been working tirelessly with the union to ensure that communication could be made to members at each step of the way. As we heard just before from the Attorney-General, all payments are now with Shared Services, so there are zero payments now outstanding as far as I am advised. As has been highlighted through the SAET orders, it is a 7 per cent interest rate per annum.