Wage negotiations have commenced with the Health & Community Services Union (HACSU).
The Hodgman Liberal Government values the hard work and commitment from Tasmania’s paramedics, and we have employed new ambulance crews, one in each of the North and the South, for the first time in many years.
A six per cent pay increase over three years for public service employees is affordable, fair, and reasonable – it will ensure wages keep pace with inflation while also enabling us to employ even more paramedics and other frontline staff.
In this year’s state Budget we have committed to increasing ambulance services across Tasmania, including the progressive recruitment of 42 new rural and regional paramedics, $3 million to support six new staff members at the State-wide Operations Centre, as well as $12 million for the new Glenorchy and Burnie ambulance stations.
These commitments form part of our six-year $125 million plan to boost ambulance services in Tasmania.
A pay-rise of just one percent extra across the public service would cost an additional $28 million to the Budget, including superannuation, each and every year and threaten our capacity to keep investing more in frontline staff and services.
The Government believes we have got the balance right and we will continue to negotiate in good faith within the parameters of our sensible wages policy.