In mid-2024, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) commenced a review of five modern awards, including the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award, to address potential gender-based undervaluation. On 16 April 2025, the FWC issued a provisional decision. It found that employees covered under Schedules B and C—social and community services, crisis accommodation, and home care/disability support—have been subject to gender-based undervaluation. The decision also acknowledged significant structural issues, particularly the complexity and ambiguity of the current classification schedules, which contribute to employee misclassification.
In this submission, ACT Shelter welcomes the review of the SCHADS Award and the Commission’s intent to address gender-based undervaluation within the community sector. We are, however, concerned that the provisional model proposed does not reflect the unique skills, contexts, and complexities of community sector work, nor the value of lived and industry experience. The proposed classification structure risks reducing pay for some workers, creating and entrenching wage inequities, and undermining workforce stability and sustainability.
ACT Shelter urges the Commission to proceed cautiously and collaboratively, ensuring that any new classification and wage structure genuinely reflects the skills and contributions of community services workers and advances the goal of pay equity.