If you’ve ever had a blood test, the skilled healthcare professional who performed it is called a Phlebotomist. Unfortunately, some employers have historically referred to them as "Pathology Collectors" in a deliberate attempt to downplay their expertise and devalue their critical role in healthcare. The Phlebotomists Council of Australia (PCA) members have delivered their submission into the Fair Work Commission Gender Undervaluation Review demonstrating that Phlebotomists and Pathology Collectors are facing serious financial hardship and have been historically undervalued and under-appreciated. Following the Covid Pandemic these Medical Technicians have faced nothing but staff shortages, cuts to their “tools of trade”, cuts to preventative occupational safe environments to save costs, no discussions with them before large business changes, especially ones that include an increase to their duties without any financial remuneration. 

The other issue facing our “local Pathology Collector/Phlebotomists” you visit in Outpatient Pathology in Australia is that they will most commonly be employed by a private pathology provider. Our three largest in Australia are all ASX Listed companies driven to appease the Shareholder. Therefore your “local Pathology Collector/Phlebotomists” is earning roughly $5-$7 less an hour than the Public Sector Employed Pathology Collector/Phlebotomists in Inpatient Pathology (State Run Hospitals). During COVID-19, private pathology providers were among the few businesses to profit, largely due to an increase in the Medicare Rebate by the Morrison Government, to conduct PCR testing. This benefit was enjoyed by shareholders, who did not pass it on to workers but instead needed to sustain these higher profit margins. 

The Fair Work Commission initiated this review independently, following the Aged Care Award Review and a recent review of other Modern Awards, with the goal of reassessing roles primarily held by women that often involve undervalued, unseen caregiving skills. In April 2025 the Fair Work Commission's Full Bench make a determination that these workers had been historically undervalued and made a decision to reclassify their levels to more suitable ones that reflect the value of the work they perform. 

Unfortunately, there is opposition from the Private Pathology sector in the Fair Work Commission’s Gender Undervaluation Review to the determination made by the FWC's Full Bench, in recent submissions, Private Pathology have made submissions that these workers do not perform work that deserves a work value wage increase. Meanwhile, PCA members working in certain private pathology providers are being trained to take payments in clinics before collecting pathology samples, using newly introduced software. The “Keep Pathology Bulk Billed” campaign set the stage for gap payments to be introduced, with PCA members and their pathology worker colleagues likely to bear the brunt of frustration with this shift. If your phlebotomist seems frustrated during your next test, this context may explain why.

Some phlebotomists start with a wage only slightly above the Australian National Minimum Wage, which is simply not fair considering the skill and expertise required for the role.

Please sign our petition in support of a fair wage increase for professional pathology workers. Pathology matters, and so do the dedicated professionals who provide this essential service.