“UBER FINALLY ON TRIAL FOR JUSTICE”
Monday 9 February is a crucial day in the fight to secure fair wages and conditions for the many thousands of people driving for Uber in Australia It’s the first day of an important trial to determine whether those thousands of workers are employees or independent contractors. For years, Uber has been claiming that their drivers are not employees, thereby denying them basic workplace legal rights afforded to employees. This wrong categorisation significantly bolsters Uber’s Australian profits.
In 2023 Uber reported annual revenues in Australia in excess of $3 billion, with a reported profit of nearly $30m.
Debra Weddall, former Uber driver and President of the Rideshare Driver Network (RDN) the peak body representing Uber drivers in Australia, and the lead Applicant in the case, said today:
“Platforms such as Uber are in the business of maximising profits by relieving themselves of labour costs and taking rights away from workers. This is fundamentally unfair and just not right. Uber have been getting away with this for far too long. Uber drivers just want the same employment rights enjoyed by most Australians.”
The legal status of Uber drivers has already been the subject of highly publicised court cases in a number of other countries. In both the United Kingdom and New Zealand the dispute ultimately went to the highest Court of Appeal. In the United Kingdom the issue was resolved with a win for the drivers in Uber BV and Ors v Aslam and Ors [2021] UKSC 5. In New Zealand the drivers were also successful in Rasier Operations BV v E Tu Incorporated [2025] NZSC 162.
DEBRA LYN WEDDALL & ORS v RASIER PACIFIC PTY LTD & ANOR.
VID427/2021. Federal Court, Sydney 9 February 10.15am.
The Applicants are former Uber drivers, Debra Weddall, Malcolm Mackenzie and Rizwan Miskin and the RDN.
Debra Weddall is available for interview. She will be outside the Federal Court, Sydney entrance Monday 9 Feb from 9:15am- 9:45am for TV.
The Applicants are represented by Harmers Workplace Lawyers. Counsel is John Hyde Page.
Media Contact
Anthony McClellan
AMC Media