Tuesday, 12 November 2024

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:37): I rise to inform the house that under Labor Victoria’s healthcare workforce has grown by almost 50 per cent. In the 10 years that we have been in government we have recruited an additional 40,000 healthcare workers for our public health system. In fact last year Victoria saw the biggest yearly growth in the state’s history, recording a massive 6.7 ‍per cent increase in new roles, with more than 7000 nurses, doctors and allied healthcare professionals joining our system. This strong pipeline is on the back of our nation-leading investments and reforms, which only Labor governments deliver – nurse-to-patient ratios, our investment to make nursing and midwifery free to study for 10,000 students and being the first government in the country to implement the findings of the Fair Work Commission’s work value case, which is delivering a 28.4 ‍per cent pay rise for our hardworking nurses and midwives. They deserve every cent of that, being historically undervalued for so long.

But it is not just hospital staff where we lead the nation. Our on-road paramedic workforce has also grown by more than 50 per cent, with 2200 more paramedics on the road since we came to government. Indeed we have more registered paramedics here in Victoria than any other state, and our response times are better than those of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Tassie. In an Australian first we will have 25 paramedic practitioners on the road in regional Victoria by the end of 2026, and we are establishing Australia’s first centre of paramedicine in partnership with Victoria University. Unlike those on the other side of the house, our government continues to invest – (Time expired)