Victorian doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals would be offered thousands of dollars in financial incentives to take jobs in rural and regional communities under a new election commitment from the Liberals and Nationals.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has announced a $40 million, four-year Victorian Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, designed to help regional hospitals recruit and retain health professionals in areas struggling with critical workforce shortages.
Under the proposal, eligible workers could receive up to $10,000 in upfront financial assistance when taking a regional position.
They could then qualify for further incentives of up to $10,000 for each year they remain in the role, creating a financial incentive not only to move to regional Victoria but to stay.
The assistance could take the form of direct payments or support for relocation and accommodation expenses.
The Coalition says the model would be based on a workforce incentive program operating in New South Wales and would cover doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.
“Regional Victoria is a fantastic place to live, work and build a career, and we want to create more opportunities for our brightest health professionals to do just that,” Ms Wilson said.
“More doctors, nurses and midwives in our regions means stronger local hospitals, better care closer to home and less pressure on our entire health system.”
The announcement comes ahead of Victoria’s November election, with access to healthcare and shortages of doctors and other health professionals continuing to be major concerns across regional communities.
The Coalition argues there is a mismatch in Victoria’s health workforce, with some professionals competing for positions in Melbourne while regional hospitals struggle to recruit staff.
Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier said the policy was intended to better connect available health workers with communities where vacancies were most acute.
“We want to better connect our growing health workforce with the rural and regional hospitals that need them,” Ms Crozier said.
“This is about filling critical vacancies today, while building a strong and stable regional health workforce for the future.”
Housing included in regional health push
The Coalition has also identified housing availability as a barrier to recruiting workers outside Melbourne.
Under the proposal, dedicated health-worker accommodation would be considered as part of new regional hospital developments where appropriate.
The Coalition specifically identified the proposed West Gippsland Hospital and Mildura Base Public Hospital developments as locations where worker accommodation could be incorporated.
Housing shortages and rental availability can make recruiting professionals to regional communities difficult even where employment is available, particularly for workers who need to relocate quickly or are unfamiliar with the area.
The Coalition argues combining financial incentives with accommodation support could make regional positions more attractive and improve retention.
Shadow Mental Health Minister Emma Kealy said regional communities needed greater access to mental health professionals as part of the wider workforce push.
“This is a great chance for some of Victoria’s best and brightest health professionals to get ahead by setting themselves up in regional Victoria,” Ms Kealy said.
“Regional Victorians are crying out for a fair share and deserve to have the same mental health resources available to those living in metropolitan areas.”
NSW scheme provides model
The Coalition says its Victorian proposal draws on a health workforce incentive scheme used in New South Wales.
NSW Health operates Rural Health Workforce Incentive Schemes for eligible positions in rural and regional areas, with packages that can include recruitment and retention incentives, relocation assistance, professional development and other benefits.
The Victorian Coalition’s proposal differs in its announced funding and payment structure, with $40 million committed over four years and incentives of up to $10,000 initially and up to a further $10,000 for each year an eligible worker stays.
However, important details are yet to be outlined, including exactly which locations and occupations would qualify, how long annual retention payments could continue and the criteria used to determine the value of individual incentive packages.
Those details would determine how many workers could ultimately benefit from the $40 million program.
Regional health emerges as election issue
Health workforce shortages are not unique to Victoria, with governments across Australia using financial incentives, training programs and relocation support to attract professionals outside major cities.
The challenge is particularly acute because recruiting a worker does not necessarily mean retaining them over the longer term.
The Coalition’s proposed annual retention payments are designed to address that problem by providing an ongoing financial reason for workers to remain in regional communities after receiving their initial relocation assistance.
The policy also gives the opposition another health commitment to take into the November state election, pitching the program as a response to what it says is an imbalance between employment opportunities in Melbourne and workforce shortages elsewhere.
For regional patients, the Coalition argues the intended outcome would be fewer vacancies, shorter journeys for treatment and greater access to doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health and mental health professionals closer to home.
The Liberals and Nationals say the $40 million scheme would be established if they win government in November, putting regional health workforce recruitment firmly into the contest over which side can deliver better access to healthcare outside Melbourne.
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