The South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) has endorsed the State Government's latest pay offer for consideration by its members and suspended a proposed full-day strike.
This follows positive and productive discussions between the Premier, the Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Health and Wellbeing with SASMOA's leadership late last week, with a new State Government offer put to SASMOA formally yesterday afternoon.
The new offer ensures South Australia's junior doctors pay is nationally competitive and delivers a significant additional pay boost recognising the important work they do and the need to attract and retain new doctors.
It extends the previous offer of a $4,050 increase to the base pay to all junior doctors and senior registrars.
The offer also includes a new three-year agreement, with four-year salary and allowance increases of 3.5% (backdated to 14 April 2025), 3.25% (14 April 2026), 3.25% (14 April 2027), and 3% (14 April 2028).
Other highlights of the State Government's offer include:
- Incentives of up to $39,493 to attract and retain doctors in regional areas
- Formal recognition of Rural Generalists and an increase in their attraction and retention allowance from 30 per cent to 45 per cent
- Increasing minimum breaks between shifts from 8 hours to 10 hours to support the health and wellbeing of doctors
- Ensuring public health duties continue as the primary responsibility for our medical officers
- A increase in professional development payment for junior doctors in accredited training programs from $8,500 to $10,000, ensuring they can maintain high levels of clinical practice
- A 13 per cent salary and allowance increase, over the life of the three-year agreement, for consultants – a real wage increase above current inflation.
The offer, which has been endorsed by SASMOA's leadership, will be considered by its members at a stop-work meeting on Wednesday.
The proposed enterprise agreement offer is in addition to the Malinauskas Government's significant investment in building a bigger health system, including 600 more hospital beds and a huge boost to our health workforce.
The State Government has 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 Peter Malinauskas
Our state's doctors work hard to care for South Australians, and they deserve this fair and reasonable pay rise.
Importantly, this offer ensures South Australia's junior doctors' pay is nationally competitive and delivers a significant additional pay boost recognising the important work they do.
We're also offering generous incentives to attract and retain doctors in regional South Australia.
I want to thank SASMOA and its leadership for working collaboratively with the government and negotiating in good faith to get the best outcome for its members.
As put by Kyam Maher
The Government welcomes SASMOA's ongoing collaboration and commitment to negotiating in good faith.
This offer particularly focuses on the needs of our junior doctors, recognising their essential work and ensuring their pay is nationally competitive.
Importantly, this offer also includes incentives for regional allowances to attract and retain doctors in our regional areas.
