Medical Specialists, Enterprise Bargaining

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (14:47): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector regarding ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations across the public sector.

Leave granted.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD: As part of negotiations of the SA Health Salaried Medical Officers Enterprise Agreement, which expired on 2 February 2025, the government has yet to answer calls by the sector to create a standalone agreement for psychologists. The opposition is speaking to psychologists, who report a workforce in crisis. There are few senior psychologists left in the public sector workforce, which means fewer to supervise and attract younger psychologists, who are normally enticed by the opportunity to learn and be trained by some of the best. Many are turning to private practice, and they are then often lost to the public sector for the remainder of their career.

Those psychologists who stay in the public sector are having to work part time in the private sector to supplement their incomes because, despite many studying for up to 12 years, they are still only being paid roughly $49 per hour. There are no incentives for these psychologists to continue in the public sector, with no retention policies or recognition of their level of training in the current agreement.

My question to the minister is: will the government acknowledge the public psychology workforce crisis and commit to negotiating a standalone EBA for psychologists that includes proper pay progression, retention incentives and recognition of the advanced training that they have so they no longer will be the worst paid in the country?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:48): I thank the honourable member for his question. It is slightly bemusing that there would be a suggestion that we wouldn't consider a standalone agreement for a group of very important workers that include psychologists, when through processes we have had to file in the South Australian Employment Tribunal that is exactly what we are doing currently.

For allied health professionals within the public sector we are negotiating a separate agreement, not the salaried agreement that covers some tens of thousands of workers, but a separate agreement with the Health Services Union that covers allied health professionals, one of the most important aspects of those being psychologists. We are doing exactly that, recognising the very good work that allied health professionals play in the public health sector.