As 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.

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?

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.