How Subcontractors Get Paid in SA (Security of Payment Explained)
South Australia's Security of Payment Act follows the NSW model: payment claim, 15 business day schedule window, and silence makes the full claimed amount a debt due. Adjudication runs through authorised nominating authorities - the Small Business Commissioner publishes the list.
Transcript
Not being paid on a South Australian job? There is a law built for exactly this.
The Security of Payment Act. Built to get subbies paid in weeks, not years.
Step one. A valid payment claim, from each reference date. The work identified. The amount claimed. Served on time.
The builder then has fifteen business days to respond with a payment schedule. Or a shorter period, if the contract says so.
And silence is expensive. No schedule in time makes the full claimed amount a debt due. And bars their reasons at adjudication.
If they schedule less than you claimed, you can take the gap to an adjudicator. Determinations typically land within ten business days of acceptance.
Applications go through an authorised nominating authority. The Small Business Commissioner publishes the list.
The standard suspension rights follow too. A lawful path to stop work, on proper notice, if payment does not come.
The windows are strict, and public holidays move real dates. Verify every deadline against the Act before you act.
Know your position before you pick the fight. Free tools below. And know what you're signing.
General information about Australian subcontracts, not legal advice. Get advice on your own contract and facts.