Doctor Recruitment

Ms O'HANLON (Dunstan) (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update the house on the recruitment of junior doctors across the South Australian public hospital system, and what has been the response to this?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:37): I thank the member for Dunstan for her question and note her strong interest in a strong public health system and also the significant number of doctors who no doubt live in her electorate as well. There is some really good news for health in South Australia in that we continue to recruit doctors to our public health system in record numbers.

Already in our first two years in office, we recruited an extra 329 doctors across the board above attrition. But just a couple of months ago, I was very pleased to be with the member for Adelaide at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where we announced that this year we are bringing in a record number of intern doctors into our public health system. This means 313 newly minted doctors coming in to work in SA Health. I was very privileged to be able to speak to those doctors in CALHN, NALHN and SALHN during their induction days. This is an increase. This is 28 more than last year, and it is 40 more going back to the previous government in 2021. We are achieving record numbers of interns coming into the system—fresh perspectives, newly trained doctors, enthusiastic—to provide that increase in patient care.

Really excitingly, there has also been a big boost in terms of our regional doctors coming in. Back in 2020, there were only 12 of those interns going to work in regional areas. This year, that has increased to 30 of our program going into regional areas. Back in 2020, there were only three of our regional LHNs that were having intern doctors. Now all six have training programs for regional doctors across the board, so this is really positive news.

It comes at the same time that we are seeing an increase in the number of doctors going into training to become GPs in South Australia as well. The latest stats from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners show that we have 114 junior doctors starting their training as specialist GPs in South Australia. That is a 34 per cent increase on last year. It includes 60 per cent more GPs training on a regional pathway compared to last year as well.

I was asked about what the reaction to this has been. It has been overwhelmingly positive. Certainly, the Rural Doctors Association has said that they are really pleased at South Australia's increase in intern numbers, particularly interns who are based in regional areas. The RACGP President, Dr Sian Goodson, said the increase in GP training numbers in South Australia is very positive news.

But unfortunately, there weren't only positive reactions to this. There was one person in South Australia who wasn't happy with these record numbers of doctors coming into training. I am sad to say it was again the member for Schubert, who just had to go out and again be the most negative person in South Australia and dismiss this news. The member for Schubert stood up, didn't welcome this news, didn't welcome these record numbers of doctors—

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: What did she say?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: 'What did she say?' the Premier asks. She said that other states will be sniffing around looking for these interns, wanting to lure them across the border to Victoria, to WA and up to Queensland with some really tantalising incentives that they have on the table. What are these incentives on the table in Queensland? I was very interested in this. The member for Schubert says these are going to be tantalising incentives in Queensland. There are zero incentives because the new LNP government in Queensland cut them. As one of their first acts of office, they cut all the incentive programs, saying they didn't work and they didn't attract people. There are no incentives on the table.