The Malinauskas Labor Government has put on the table a new pay offer that would ensure South Australian doctors' pay is nationally competitive and delivers a significant additional pay boost to the state's trainee doctors.
The revised offer, presented today to the doctors' union, the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association, includes a minimum 10 per cent pay rise over three years, delivering a real wage increase above current inflation.
The Government has also specifically recognised the need to attract and retain new doctors, offering the state's 953 junior doctors in their first three years of clinical practice an additional $4,050 base wage increase. This will deliver a first-year pay rise of up to 8.6% and a base salary for interns starting at $88,869 – making them the second best paid of any mainland state.
Under this offer a senior Emergency Department consultant would receive a pay increase of more than $50,000 over the three-year agreement, lifting their salary, including remote call and professional development allowances, to more than $600,000 per year.
The latest offer for the state's doctors also includes:
- Incentives of up to $39,493 to attract and retain doctors in regional areas
- Increasing minimum breaks between shifts from 8 hours to 10 hours to support the health and wellbeing of doctors
- Enshrining a minimum of 20 per cent non-clinical time for consultants, giving senior doctors dedicated time for education, training, quality improvement and research
- Formal recognition of Rural Generalists and an increase in their attraction and retention allowance from 30 per cent to 45 per cent
- The ability to roster senior doctors on any day of the week in areas of need to improve timely access to patient care
- Fixing ordinary hours of work at 37.5 hours per week, with penalty rates and overtime where applicable, rather than senior doctors having no fixed hours
- Ensuring public health duties as primary responsibility for consultants
It comes a day after the Health Services Union gave in-principle support for the Government's offer for a new enterprise agreement for Allied Health Professionals.
This reflects the Government's commitment to bargaining in good faith for enterprise agreements that deliver real wage increases to workers while ensuring the ongoing delivery of vital public health services.
The proposed enterprise agreement offer is in addition to the Malinauskas Government's significant investments in building a bigger health system, including 600 more hospital beds and a huge boost to our health workforce.
We've already recruited more than 2,700 full time additional health workers above attrition since coming to government, including 646 extra doctors. This is six times more than the Government's election commitment to recruit 100 extra doctors.
The largest ever South Australian intake of medical interns started work in our public hospitals this year, with 313 of these new doctors working across public hospitals.
As put by Kyam Maher
The Government is committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a new enterprise agreement for public sector doctors, which balances real wage rises with responsible budgetary management.
With this offer the Government is once again showing our commitment to supporting our health workers in the vital work of helping the South Australian community.
As put by Chris Picton
Our doctors work hard to care for South Australians and they deserve a fair and reasonable pay rise which is exactly what we are offering.
A pay rise of at least 10 per cent over three years will ensure our doctors' pay is nationally competitive.
On top of that, we're also giving a substantial boost for regional doctors and junior doctors.
We also believe it is reasonable to be able to roster senior doctors on any day of the week in areas of need because public hospitals operate seven days a week.
We hope the union and doctors will consider in detail the benefits of the offer that will help us continue our strong recruitment that has already seen a boost of more than 600 extra doctors into SA Health over three years.
