Tuesday, 22 September 2026

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (15:05): (2631) I have been contacted by constituents recently who work as allied health professionals, and they are undergoing significant issues at the moment. They are going through negotiations, obviously, with the government, and they are concerned about the impact of their ability to support the healthcare needs of the communities, but particularly in regional areas. Victorian allied health professionals continue to earn less than many others across the country, and there are significant challenges, firstly, attracting and, secondly, retaining workers in that area. My question to the minister is: what are you going to do about this to make sure that there is a good outcome so that we can have a good system in Victoria and not just lose people to other states?