Medical Specialists, Enterprise Bargaining

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (15:06): I seek leave to make a belief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector regarding relative pay offers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: We saw a significant piece of reporting in October regarding the fury which visiting medical specialists and clinical academics have with a 1.5 per cent pay offer compared to very generous deals handed to those unions which campaigned aggressively for Labor during the state election, namely nurses and ambulance officers. What is the minister doing to resolve the concerns of visiting medical specialists and clinical academics in this regard?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for her question, which is almost identical to a question I think I was asked in the last sitting week, but I guess that comes as a function of her colleagues asking questions not to ministers in this chamber at all. We saw the Leader of the Opposition ask a range of questions knowing that they weren't to a minister in this chamber, but they were to a minister that I am representing today who represents someone else in another chamber—quite extraordinary.

The PRESIDENT: Point of order, the Hon. Ms Lensink.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Relevance. It is not a critique of the questions. He is supposed to give answers.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I am giving an answer. I am getting there.

The PRESIDENT: Can you get there, please?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Certainly, sir. I was just reflecting on the questions from the Leader of the Opposition, who was asking questions of someone in this chamber who I was representing in another chamber. As the Hon. Michelle Lensink had asked a question that is relevant to my portfolio just as the Hon. Jing Lee asked a question relevant to my portfolio, albeit a question which was from the chamber in another place—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Sir, I don't remember behaviour this poor in all my—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Attorney!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Point of order.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Lensink has a point of order.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I have yet to hear any reference to visiting medical specialists in the minister's answer.

The PRESIDENT: I am sure the minister is immediately going to talk about visiting specialists.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The Hon. Michelle Lensink has asked about visiting medical specialists, and before that the Hon. Jing Lee asked a question about—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Come on, Attorney. I want to get to some crossbench questions.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Particularly in relation to visiting medical—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I can't hear myself think, sir.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: In relation to clinical academics and visiting medical specialists, I am happy to reiterate what I have said in this chamber only in the last couple of weeks. The vast majority of doctors in the South Australian public sector are covered by the salaried medical officers enterprise agreement, which I am advised applies to around 4,461 employees. The clinical academics and visiting medical specialists agreements cover a much smaller cohort of doctors. I am advised that the clinical academics agreement covers around 59 employees, and the visiting medical specialists agreement covers around 216 employees, which is around about 32 FTEs.

There has been a longstanding practice adopted by the former Liberal government, a longstanding industrial practice in South Australia adopted by the former Liberal government and also, I must say, the former Labor government, that salary outcomes in the salaried medical officers agreement are flowed on to the other two smaller agreements, the clinical academics and visiting medical specialists agreements. This was a practice that was adopted by the former Liberal government. It is a source, obviously, of some embarrassment to the Hon. Ms Lensink. She is asking a question about the practices of—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —a former Liberal government.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I am happy to reiterate, as I did the last time I was asked this exact question, that it has been a longstanding industrial practice. It was a practice of the former Liberal government and the former Labor government that these—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Attorney, you have repeated that a number of times. I would like to get on to the next question, so please bring it to a conclusion.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The current salaried medical officers agreement that was approved this year in February 2022, provided annual increases of 1.5 per cent. This agreement was supported by the relevant union, SASMOA. The government is offering the flow-on wage increases from the salaried medical officers agreement to the other two smaller agreements, consistent with longstanding industrial practices of both parties.