Here’s your latest edition of Reads & Feeds, spotlighting the key issues shaping hospitality in 2025. From wage reform and workforce pressures to new safety regulations and shifting immigration policies, these updates reveal how policy and people are reshaping the industry. Whether you're navigating staffing challenges or planning for long-term growth, these insights will help you stay informed and prepared.

Level up your venue game, let’s get into it:

1. Immigration Caps Could Deepen Hospitality’s Staff Shortage

Hospitality leaders are warning that proposed immigration caps could make staff shortages even worse across cafés and restaurants. With few local workers entering cookery and service roles, the industry heavily relies on skilled migrant labour, but hiring is already slow, costly, and complex.

As both major political parties commit to capping migration in the lead-up to the election, industry groups are urgently calling for hospitality-specific protections to ensure venues aren’t left understaffed. For operators, this could mean more recruitment delays, higher labour costs, and added operational stress.

Staying informed and advocating for policy that reflects the industry's needs will be key in the months ahead.

2. Push for Above-Inflation Wage Rise in Hospitality

As living costs continue to rise, the Labor government has called on the Fair Work Commission to deliver an above-inflation wage increase for minimum and award-wage workers, many of whom work in hospitality.

In its election-period submission, Labor argued for an “economically sustainable real wage increase” to ensure that Australia’s 2.9 million low-paid award workers don’t fall behind. With cost-of-living pressures biting hard, especially in lower-income sectors, this move aims to help workers maintain purchasing power and quality of life.

The push marks a clear policy divide, with the opposition taking a more cautious approach, further positioning wages and working conditions as a key battleground issue for the hospitality industry in 2025.

For venue operators, any mandated wage increases could bring added financial pressure, but also potential benefits in staff retention, morale, and productivity, key factors in an industry already battling workforce shortages.

3. Mandatory training to curb harassment in venues

South Australia is introducing mandatory bystander training in licensed venues to combat sexual harassment and improve safety in nightlife settings.

The initiative, led by the SA government and the Australian Hotels Association, will be built into RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) training and aims to equip staff with the skills to identify and respond to unwanted sexual behaviour and drink-spiking incidents.

Following rising concerns about harassment in pubs, bars, and clubs, the move seeks to create a safer, more inclusive environment for both workers and patrons through industry-wide education.

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