Young People
SA-BEST is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of young people and children through proactive policy initiatives and legislative reforms. Our commitment to safeguarding their safety, promoting their welfare, and addressing their needs is unwavering.
SA-BEST is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of young people and children through proactive policy initiatives and legislative reforms. Our commitment to safeguarding their safety, promoting their welfare, and addressing their needs is unwavering.
SA-BEST will always advocate on behalf of our state’s young people and has made significant progress across a range of portfolios. The introduction of amendments – developed following extensive consultation with the SDA Union – into parliament to close a loophole in our workplace protection laws led to nation-leading changes to the Bail Act 1985.
The initiative ensures that individuals charged or convicted with a child sex offence are restricted from working alongside children.
This achievement represents a major victory for SA-BEST and a crucial step forward in safeguarding young South Australians in the workplace.
SA-BEST previously introduced a bill into parliament to double the government Sports Voucher program to $200 per student per year and was pleased to see the 2024-25 State Budget include this reform. The program did not go far enough, however. SA-BEST has continued to agitate for the extension of the program’s age cut-off past Year 9, including bringing a bill to a vote in November 2025 - which the government remained silent on. This last week, however, the government finally came to the table, announcing it will extend the program following the upcoming election.... a win for young people in South Australia!!
SA-BEST is strongly advocating for increased recognition and support for foster and kinship carers, who make immense sacrifices to care for vulnerable children and young people. Current priorities include implementation of a superannuation-type payment for carers to acknowledge their sacrifice and the implications it will have on their retirement savings.
SA-BEST is committed to improving the experiences of foster and kinship carers through meaningful reforms and supported an independent inquiry into foster and kinship care to address recurring issues such as poor communication, lack of support services, and procedural unfairness. Carers are heroes, and more of them in our state means better outcomes for South Australia’s most vulnerable children and young people.
SA-BEST has a track record of introducing and supporting legislative reforms to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. This includes initiatives such as ‘Carly’s Law” to address online safety, banning the use of spit hoods in juvenile detention, and mandating drug rehabilitation for young offenders. We have banned child-like sex dolls with significant penalties for offenders. In 2025, SA-BEST introduced a nation-leading laws covering the creation, distribution and threat to distribute artificially generated invasive images (‘deepfakes’).
Addressing period poverty in schools – the inability to afford access to menstrual products, education and hygiene facilities – has long been a priority for SA-BEST. We are most proud of the extensive work we have done alongside children’s charity KickStart for Kids to make this happen and continue to push for universal free access to period products.
