The Uber Eats rider killed in a fatal crash in Sydney last weekend was a young finance student studying to ensure his family in India had a better future.
Akshay Deepak Doultani, 22, died while riding for Uber Eats on Saturday 22 July after a collision with an SUV in Epping in Sydney’s north-west.
Paramedics treated Doultani but he later died at the Royal North Shore hospital.
Labor senator Tony Sheldon identified Doultani as the rider in a short statement to parliament on Monday, with permission from the man’s family.
Doultani was studying a master’s degree in finance at Macquarie University, after receiving a scholarship allowing him to come to Australia.
“Akshay came to this country on a scholarship to pursue his dreams and give his family a brighter future,” Sheldon said. “At around 8pm at the intersection of Blaxland Road and Epping Road, in Epping, Akshay was making a delivery on his scooter when he was hit by an SUV.”
Sheldon said 12 food delivery riders were known to have died since 2017, though underreporting is common in the industry.
“As a gig worker, Akshay has no basic employment rights,” he said. “No minimum wage, no workers’ compensation. A job that forces people to push themselves to the limit to make enough to make ends meet.”
The government is currently considering reforms to the gig worker industry to better protect workers. Those reforms would set minimum pay and conditions and give the Fair Work Commission the remit to regulate “employee-like workers”.
The business lobby and gig economy companies have mounted a lobbying effort against the proposed changes, arguing they will increase costs and prices for consumers and lead to job losses.
Sheldon said the supposed flexibility of the current arrangements for gig workers is a “fiction”.
“Twelve deaths since 2017, 12 families who have been failed by the system,” he said. “Akshay deserves flexibility on his terms. Having that minimum safety net may have saved one of those 12 lives.”
Last week, an Uber Eats spokesperson said the company was deeply saddened by what it described as a “tragic incident”.
“We are in contact with his family and loved ones and are providing our support,” the spokesperson said.
“We are committed to the safety of delivery people and have policies and features in place to help enhance their safety on the road. In Australia, Uber Eats delivery people are covered by a support package designed specifically for them, which includes insurance should an accident or injury occur while delivering.”
The death is being investigated by police and the state’s work safety watchdog, Safework. Uber Eats says it has offered assistance to police and is attempting to expedite the insurance process for the worker’s family.
The Transport Workers’ Union said the death showed the urgency of the planned gig worker reforms.
TWU national secretary, Michael Kaine, said gig economy workers were denied basic rights, like minimum wage, sick leave, workers’ compensation and protections against unfair terminations.
“Our thoughts are with Akshay’s family here in Australia and back home in India at this devastating time,” Kaine said. “No parent should be faced with this loss. Whether working full-time in the transport gig economy, or doing food delivery to pay the bills while studying to fulfil other aspirations as Akshay was, all workers deserve fair rights and safe working conditions as a minimum requirement.”
