World

South Australian nurses and midwives reject government pay offer

Herz — World Desk · 30 July 2026 at 09:24 · 30s summary · 2 min read

The essentials

Public-sector nurses and midwives in South Australia rejected the state government’s pay offer on Thursday, despite their union recommending acceptance. The proposal provided for a 16% increase over three years. The dispute also covers staffing levels and whether babies should be counted separately from mothers in midwife-to-patient ratios. The government will now ask the South Australian Employment Tribunal to arbitrate and issue a final decision on the enterprise agreement.

Nurses and midwives rejected the offer recommended by their union.
The state government proposed a 16% pay increase over three years.
Staffing levels and whether babies count separately remain disputed.
The South Australian Employment Tribunal will make a final decision.

What we know

Public-sector nurses and midwives in South Australia voted by a majority on Thursday to reject the state government’s latest pay offer, ABC reported.

Their union, the South Australian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, had recommended accepting the proposal. It had anticipated a possible rejection, alerted its legal teams and prepared for arbitration.

A 16% increase over three years

The South Australian government proposed a 16% pay increase over three years in June.

At the beginning of June, the union was still seeking a 23% increase by the end of 2027. It later advised members to accept the government’s latest offer.

State Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis presented a different calculation. Including earlier administrative increases and their cumulative effects, he said the offer amounted to more than 10% over 18 months and about 17% over two and a half years.

Staffing levels are also disputed

According to Elizabeth Dabars and Tom Koutsantonis, the vote was not solely about pay. Staffing levels were also among the disputed issues.

The union specifically wanted babies to be counted separately from their mothers when calculating the number of patients assigned to midwives.

Elizabeth Dabars said the union would now seek a legislative change to the way those ratios are calculated. The demand was not incorporated into the negotiations.

Tribunal to arbitrate the dispute

Following the rejection, the government will ask the South Australian Employment Tribunal to arbitrate the dispute and make a final determination on the enterprise agreement.

Koutsantonis described the result as disappointing and argued that the proposal balanced the needs of healthcare workers and taxpayers.

The tribunal must decide whether the offer is fair and reasonable. It may also determine that the pay increase should be higher or lower.