A Fair Work Commission decision for hospital doctors to receive the same pay increase as other ACT public servants has been labelled ‘disappointing’ by unions. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A Fair Work Commission ruling that Canberra’s hospital doctors should get a pay rise in line with other ACT public servants has been slammed as a “missed opportunity” to strengthen the Territory’s health system.
Hospital medical practitioners include junior doctors, senior doctors, registrars and specialists. As of 31 January 2025, 1333 medical practitioners were employed through Canberra Health Services.
Bargaining on a new enterprise agreement started between the ACT Government (as represented by CHS) and two unions – the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) and Australian Medical Association (AMA) ACT – in early 2022 and was largely successful.
But disputes arose about the level and timing of wage increases for medical practitioners.
This led to industrial action by the unions after the ACT Government’s September 2024 offer was rejected.
The case was taken to the Fair Work Commission in October 2024 (which the ACT Government opposed) to make a determination.
The Territory proposed a 5.5 per cent increase over three years (from 1 January 2023 to 1 January 2026), plus $6000, a one-off cost-of-living supplement of $1250, superannuation increases, and a minimum full-time equivalent salary floor of $62,860 from December 2024.
ASMOF argued for an 18 per cent increase over the three years, and the AMA sought a 19.75 per cent increase (reasoning it should be equivalent to the Consumer Price Index).
The Fair Work Commission heard from several hospital doctors about “insufficient medical staffing at the senior or junior level” in Canberra’s hospitals, intense workloads, a reliance on locums to fill staffing gaps, and that wage rates were apparently a disincentive for doctors to seek employment with the ACT Government.
“We are running off the smell of an oily rag,” one Canberra Hospital resident medical officer told the commission.
The Territory argued its proposed wage increase reflected those in all other public sector enterprise agreements, that there needed to be a balance prioritising the needs of relatively lower-paid workers, and noted that medical practitioners had access to “extensive entitlements”.
The Fair Work Commission determined the “appropriate and fair outcome” would be to apply the “same approach to salary increases” for medical practitioners as those agreed to for other ACT public servants.
The increase will be paid retrospectively to cover the period 1 January 2023 to 31 March 2026.
ASMOF ACT Branch Council President Professor Dipti Talaulikar said the ruling was “disappointing”.
“It still leaves ACT doctors as some of the worst paid in Australia,” she said.
“The continuing increases in the demands on public health in the ACT are stretching the Medical Practitioner Workforce to breaking point. The ACT Government must ensure ACT public sector doctors’ wages remain competitive with other jurisdictions, or we won’t be able to recruit, further worsening the shortages.”
By the AMA ACT’s calculations, the Fair Work Commission decision means an ACT intern’s base salary will be $86,619 and a registrar (year 1) will start at $123,241.
Branch president Dr Kerrie Aust said the decision failed to recognise the “responsibility, workload and expertise” of Canberra’s public doctors.
“It’s disheartening that the Commission has simply replicated the ACT Government’s across-the-board approach [to pay increases],” she said.
Dr Aust said Canberra needed to be a place where doctors wanted to live, work, and train. Failing to make pay and conditions competitive with other jurisdictions would make it harder to attract and retain workers.
“While the Workplace Determination locks in previously agreed conditions such as safe working hours, leave entitlements and professional development, the failure to deliver on pay is a missed opportunity to strengthen the ACT’s health system,” she said.
“Competitive wages and sustainable conditions are essential if we’re serious about building a strong and stable medical workforce.”
The ACT Government is considering the decision and awaiting the final determination from the Fair Work Commission, which is due by 23 October.
“The outcome of the decision is that the employees covered by the MPEA [Medical Practitioners Enterprise Agreement] will receive the same pay offer as that agreed by the rest of the ACT Public Service,” a spokesperson said.
“The ACT Government is pleased that the Full Bench has affirmed the Government’s position and we will soon be able to provide the staff under this agreement with the pay increase their colleagues received some time ago.
“We recognise the importance of doctors in our community and want to see their pay increases and other changes flow through as soon as possible.”
The next round of MPEA negotiations will formally begin in April next year, with informal consultations already underway.
