We must end subminimum wage for disabled workers

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion recognising the City of Sydney Council’s landmark decision to ban subminimum wages for disabled workers and calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to commit to abolishing the supported wage system and achieving full pay equity for people with disability.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House notes that on 25 November 2024, the City of Sydney Council unanimously passed a resolution moved by Greens Councillor Matthew Thompson, which resolved that Council:

endorse the community campaign for disabled workers to be paid a minimum wage through abolishing the supported wage system, ensuring companies and Australian Disability Enterprises pay disabled workers the same as everyone else,
support, in principle, a ban on providing grants, funding, and other forms of support, including non-financial support, to Australian Disability Enterprises or companies that pay their workers less than the national minimum wage, and
sign on to the open letter demanding that subminimum wages for disabled workers be abolished, joining over 37 other national organisations and 223 state and local organisations.

(2) That this House commends City of Sydney Council for being the first council in Australia to publicly commit to banning subminimum wage for disabled workers, which marks a significant moment in driving change to create an inclusive, fairer and equitable society for all.

(3) That this House calls on the NSW Government to:

commit to creating a state-wide strategy with a clear timeline for abolishing subminimum wage for disabled workers, and
advocate to the Federal Government to abolish subminimum wages nationwide as a matter of priority, alongside action to implement the Disability Royal Commission’s call to reduce workplace segregation and achieve pay parity for people with disability by 2034.

13 February 2026

PUBLIC ENERGY FOR PUBLIC GOOD - SIGN THE PETITION!

Electricity is an essential service. But Labor and Liberal governments have sold off NSW’s energy assets and infrastructure, leaving us at the mercy of the private sector for our energy needs. The result has been soaring energy bills, with more and more people being forced into energy poverty.

A privatised energy system will never deliver a cheap and clean energy network - It’s time to take the power back.

As we transition to 100% renewable energy, we must learn from the mistakes of privatisation, ensure our energy assets are kept in public hands, and rein in the actions of private operators.

Communities across NSW have for too long been at the mercy of privatised power network operators who continue to put profit above people, acting recklessly and cutting corners without regard for community expectations.

Recent catastrophic power outages in regional NSW have made headlines for just this - in Broken Hill, the state’s only 100% privatised transmission network operator has failed to deliver a safe and secure energy network, leaving communities in the dark because of mismanagement and neglect in the pursuit of profit.

To build our case for bringing electricity back into public ownership, the Greens are calling for a public parliamentary inquiry into all NSW power network operators, their operation and corporate decision-making practices.

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We must end subminimum wage for disabled workers

PUBLIC ENERGY FOR PUBLIC GOOD - SIGN THE PETITION!

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