I bet you don't pay them much - maybe not even enough to live on (that would definitely be the case here in the US I don't know about Australia). I've worked shitty retail jobs (hotels) before, for years, if you're trying to assess their "status" they'll just lie to you to get you to leave them alone. A checklist is just an extra hurdle when it's busy (and even when it's not).
I've never been a manager so I'm not sure what to tell you as far as motivation. I think money might help. I'm sure you have your pets and the other employees will resent those people and you for having them. Maybe letting them vote on shift leaders or something so it's not you correcting them but someone they may already like/trust.
When you have people living on nothing they will perpetually be in a survival mindset - which is to say, cut-throat and self focused. I doubt whatever you want them to do is of any real concern to them and I doubt you can make it that way without spending money and showing that you actually care about the person and not just the job.
I can say for certain though, you'd be hard pressed to get people to hate you more and faster than to try to micromanage them. Your employee turn over will increase which will just mean more people for you to try to train "the right way".