HSU SA/NT

28/10/2026

🚨 Health workers deserve safe workplaces – not exposure to decomposing bodies and mould!

Today's media coverage has highlighted the appalling conditions being experienced by HSU members across the Northern Territory.

At Royal Darwin Hospital, pathology workers are being exposed to the smell of decomposing bodies, while workers at Casuarina Plaza and Alice Springs Hospital continue to raise serious concerns about mould.

These aren't new issues. Workers have been raising concerns for years, yet meaningful solutions are still lacking.

HSU members dedicate their working lives to caring for Territorians. The very least they deserve is a safe and healthy workplace.

The HSU is calling on NT Health to take urgent action and deliver permanent solutions.

No health worker should have to put their own health at risk just to do their job.

📰 Read the ABC's coverage below 👇

The Health Services Union says pathology workers are being exposed to odours from decomposing bodies at Royal Darwin Hospital, and have been offered air fresheners and masks to deal with the smell.

21/10/2026

AI should empower health workers, not replace them.

Today, HSU SA/NT Secretary Billy Elrick represented HSU members before the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence.

As AI becomes more common across Australia's health system, we have an opportunity to put workers, patients and clinical judgement at the centre of this transition. Only then can we realise the benefits of AI while protecting jobs, accountability and the quality of care.

If you're concerned about what AI could mean for your job, now is the time to get involved. Join the HSU and stand with other health and community workers to make sure new technology is introduced fairly, safely and with workers' voices at the table.

13/10/2026

HSU leaders including our SA/NT Branch Secretary Billy Elrick are in Canberra for Allied Health Day!

Pictured below with South Australian Member for Spence Matt Burnell MP

Can you guess the South Australian Senator that will be meeting Billy next?

07/10/2026

Sign our petition if you haven't already!

Psychologists are a critical part of our health and community services, supporting people across mental health, hospitals, child protection, education, neuropsychology and many other essential services. Yet despite the scale of the proposed changes, more than 70% of organisations that made public su...

04/10/2026

Happy Labour Day, SA! ✊💜💚

Enjoying the public holiday? Thank a union member.

Labour Day exists because workers organised and fought for a fairer working life, including the eight-hour day.

And a little SA history: Labour Day here was originally celebrated in February, long before it found its current home in October.

The date changed. The reason for it didn’t.

Weekends, leave, penalty rates, safer workplaces and decent wages weren’t simply handed over. Workers joined together and won them.

That’s why being a union member still matters. The more of us who stand together, the stronger we are, and there’s still plenty worth fighting for.

So if you’re off today, enjoy the sleep-in, the BBQ, the family time or doing absolutely nothing. You’ve earned it.

And to everyone working today, especially those keeping our hospitals and health services running, thank you.

Enjoy what unions have won. Join your union to win what comes next.

30/09/2026

Psychology in Australia is facing major change, and we need to act now.

The Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) wants to replace the current six-year training pathway with a five-year pathway to general registration.

Reform is needed, but this proposal does not have broad support. The HSU reviewed the publicly available organisational submissions: more than 70% opposed the proposal outright, around 25% offered only conditional support, and just 5% directly supported it.

Despite this, PsyBA is pushing ahead.

But this is not a done deal. The Australian Government still has a role to play and can stop the proposal from progressing.

We need to send a clear message now: reform must strengthen psychology, protect professional standards and safeguard the services our communities rely on.

Sign our petition and help us protect psychology before it’s too late.

Protect Psychology, Protect our Community.

Mark Butler MP Australian Psychological Society Australian Association of Psychologists inc. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychology Association

Psychologists are a critical part of our health and community services, supporting people across mental health, hospitals, child protection, education, neuropsychology and many other essential services. Yet despite the scale of the proposed changes, more than 70% of organisations that made public su...

03/08/2026

The HSU SA/NT welcomes NT Labor’s health discussion paper and its commitment to negotiate a standalone Allied Health Enterprise Agreement.

For too long, Allied Health professionals have been covered by a one-size-fits-all agreement that fails to properly recognise their qualifications, responsibilities and essential contribution to patient care.

HSU members have fought for better wages, conditions and recognition. This commitment is an important step towards giving Territory Allied Health workers the agreement they deserve.

23/07/2026

🎉 HSU WIN!

HSU SA/NT members have helped secure paid placements for 10 allied health professions, a major victory for students who have long faced financial hardship while completing mandatory placements.

The Federal Government has announced that student paramedics and those studying physiotherapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, pharmacy, podiatry, speech pathology, audiology, radiography and rehabilitation therapies will become eligible for the Commonwealth Prac Payment of around $338 per week from 1 June 2027.

This expansion will help more students complete their qualifications and enter the health, aged care and disability workforces.

This is a win for all our allied health branches and a testament to the power of members standing together and campaigning for change.

But the fight isn't over. HSU will continue campaigning until all allied health students undertaking mandatory placements receive the financial support they need.

📸 HSU leaders, allied health members and students from across Australia who have helped drive the campaign for paid placements.

22/07/2026

🎧 The optometrists punished for putting patients before sales.

HSU members are bravely sharing their experiences to help expose the pressures facing optometrists in corporate practice, including pressure to rush appointments and put profit ahead of patient care.

Following her exclusive report last week, health reporter Rachel Rasker takes a deeper look at these issues in this podcast episode.

As momentum builds for change across the industry, optometrists are coming together to secure the recognition they deserve. Last week, we took the first step towards that goal by applying to have the profession recognised under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.

Take a listen via the link in the comments, and learn more at focusonoptometry.com.au

17/07/2026