AMA VICDOC Summer 2024 - Magazine - Page 63
WO RK P L AC E RE L AT I ON S
MINISTERIAL UPDATE
PROGRESS STALLED
ACTION NEEDED
-
A
s part of our enterprise bargaining
in 2021‒22, AMA Victoria/ASMOF
Victoria, the Victorian Hospitals
Industrial Association, and the Victorian
Government agreed that some critical and
complex issues affecting doctors’ working
conditions were too intricate to resolve
through bargaining alone. To address this,
the Victorian Government committed to
establishing a Ministerial Review within
six months of agreement approval.
Our submissions were provided to the
panel in December 2023, and the interim
report, originally expected by March 2024,
was handed down in April. This report
included 15 key recommendations for
improving doctors’ working conditions.
In September, we were briefed on
the recommendations and invited to
provide feedback within a three-week
timeframe. Despite the tight deadline,
we delivered our input, which was
overwhelmingly supportive, with
minimal changes requested.
We need your help
to keep this critical
issue on the State
Government’s agenda.
-
However, three months have passed
since that feedback, and the State
Government has yet to release the report
publicly. Repeated inquiries to the Victorian
Department of Health and the Victorian
Health Minister’s office have yielded no
clear answers on when it will be made
available. We are increasingly concerned
that the report’s release may be delayed
until next year. Such a delay would
significantly impact our ability —
and that of the Victorian Hospitals
Industrial Association — to incorporate
its recommendations into the next
enterprise agreements.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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We need your help to keep this critical
issue on the State Government’s
agenda. We urge you to contact your
local MP and request an update on
the report’s release. Ask them to
emphasise the importance of these
recommendations for improving
doctors’ working conditions
in Victoria.
Your voice can make a difference.
Together, we can ensure this vital
process continues and the changes
we advocate for become a reality.
VI CD O C SU M M ER 2024
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