Australian specialist salaries challenge NZ

"australian specialist salary increases challenge new Zealand"

"Large increases in Australian specialist salaries will pose a serious challenge for New Zealand's public health system," said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.

"In New South Wales specialists salaries will increase by 14% while in Queensland the increases range from 27% to 58%. In both cases these increases are in response to serious specialist shortages and are intended to both retain currently employed specialists and to recruit more including from New Zealand."

"New Zealand has an opportunity to address this challenge with the commencement on 24-25 May of negotiations for the national DHB collective agreement (known as the MECA) which expires on 30 June."

"If these negotiations don't address this powerful incentive for New Zealand's specialists to cross the Tasman, then our health system will face serious difficulties," concluded Mr Powell.

ENDS

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