Pay Rates Hinder Central Australian Doctor Recruitment

The Martin Government is squandering a golden opportunity to recruit more doctors to the Territory with its refusal to enter into meaningful negotiations with the AMA on doctors pay rates, says the Territory Opposition.

The Federal Government's intervention in the Territory has bought doctors from across Australia into the Territory, many of them working in Central Australia.

"And what do these potential recruits see – the Martin Government offering Territory doctors wages 'so far below what is paid elsewhere' that retaining the doctors we have will be hard enough, let alone recruiting more,” says Jodeen Carney, Leader of the Opposition.

"This substandard offer is the best the Martin Government can come up with after 15 months of fruitless negotiations.

"You have to wonder whether the Martin Government could run a successful chook raffle, let alone govern the Territory effectively.

"Clare Martin should be wooing the medical specialists who are conducting the health checks in Aboriginal communities. Instead her Government is sending the message they will face a pay cut should they re-locate to the Territory permanently.

"The unhappy fact is that it will be outside Darwin that the real impact of its foolish strategy on pay negotiations will be hardest felt.

"Until the Martin Government is willing to put more of the massive GST revenue it collects into regional health, Central Australia will have an acute shortage of medical professionals.

"Without additional doctors and nurses the Alice Springs Hospital will be almost constantly overloaded in the future.

"As a consequence of the Martin Government's skewed funding priorities, Territorians will continue to have the worse health in the nation.

"It's time the Martin Government recognised it has a duty to all Territorians.”

2007-07-18