❓ Hon. Kate Doust questions the Commerce Minister on wage disparities between public hospital health workers and doctors/nurses, while the Minister defends the government's wage policy citing fiscal responsibility and previous substantial wage increases for health service workers.
AnsweredQoN 707Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH WORKERS — WAGE RATES
707. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the above–inflation
wage rates awarded to doctors and nurses in public hospitals.
(1) Why are public hospital health
workers being treated differently from doctors and nurses?
(2) Does the government put a different
value on their work compared with that of doctors and nurses?
707. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the above–inflation
wage rates awarded to doctors and nurses in public hospitals.
(1) Why are public hospital health
workers being treated differently from doctors and nurses?
(2) Does the government put a different
value on their work compared with that of doctors and nurses?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the
question. As the member would be well aware, the awards for nursing staff and
doctors were negotiated under a 2009 wages policy. In November last year the
government announced a new wages policy for 2014 onwards that indicated it
would maintain the value of wages and that increases would be awarded up to the
CPI rate, as determined by Treasury. The previous agreements were already under
negotiation or had expired and were being renewed. The agreement with the
nurses is currently before the WA Industrial Relations Commission and the
government is awaiting a determination on that. The Health Services Union claim
is squarely under the prospective wages policy that was announced in November
last year, of which everyone has been fully aware since then. Health service
workers are bound by the same wages policy as every other public sector worker
including Western Australia Police, firefighters and the Community and
Public Sector Union–Civil Service Association of WA . It is not a question of discrimination; it
is a question of the application of a particular policy applicable to wages at
any particular time. The idea that somehow one would hark back to increases
that have been granted in the past and those ought to be maintained in some catch-up
fashion into the future is simply ridiculous. In fact, HSU members received a
substantial award back in 2011 of 12 per cent over three years, and into the
future it is simply unsustainable to provide for increasing awards of that
nature.
The
current state wages bill is in the order of $11 billion a year. It has been the
subject of criticism by the shadow Treasurer who, in February this year,
criticised the government for being too generous to public sector workers by
allowing increases that have brought them up to be the most highly paid public
servants in the country. Having achieved that level, it is prudent and
sensible, on behalf of the public, to restrain wage increases to CPI,
particularly as there are no meaningful and quantifiable trade-offs in
conditions. The government has fulfilled its election commitment to maintain
the real value of the high salaries provided to public sector workers.
question. As the member would be well aware, the awards for nursing staff and
doctors were negotiated under a 2009 wages policy. In November last year the
government announced a new wages policy for 2014 onwards that indicated it
would maintain the value of wages and that increases would be awarded up to the
CPI rate, as determined by Treasury. The previous agreements were already under
negotiation or had expired and were being renewed. The agreement with the
nurses is currently before the WA Industrial Relations Commission and the
government is awaiting a determination on that. The Health Services Union claim
is squarely under the prospective wages policy that was announced in November
last year, of which everyone has been fully aware since then. Health service
workers are bound by the same wages policy as every other public sector worker
including Western Australia Police, firefighters and the Community and
Public Sector Union–Civil Service Association of WA . It is not a question of discrimination; it
is a question of the application of a particular policy applicable to wages at
any particular time. The idea that somehow one would hark back to increases
that have been granted in the past and those ought to be maintained in some catch-up
fashion into the future is simply ridiculous. In fact, HSU members received a
substantial award back in 2011 of 12 per cent over three years, and into the
future it is simply unsustainable to provide for increasing awards of that
nature.
The
current state wages bill is in the order of $11 billion a year. It has been the
subject of criticism by the shadow Treasurer who, in February this year,
criticised the government for being too generous to public sector workers by
allowing increases that have brought them up to be the most highly paid public
servants in the country. Having achieved that level, it is prudent and
sensible, on behalf of the public, to restrain wage increases to CPI,
particularly as there are no meaningful and quantifiable trade-offs in
conditions. The government has fulfilled its election commitment to maintain
the real value of the high salaries provided to public sector workers.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.