Victorian Doctors Reject Government Pay Deal in 89% Ballot
By Harry Taruva — Doctors in Victoria, Australia, have rejected the state government’s 12-month pay offer, with 89% voting against it. The Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation says the proposal fails to address excessive working hours, fatigue, staff shortages and patient safety concerns. Doctors are calling for long-term pay and workplace reforms.
Harry Taruva 
Melbourne — Doctors in Victoria have overwhelmingly rejected a state government pay offer, with 89% voting against the proposal amid concerns over excessive working hours, fatigue, staff shortages and patient safety.
More than half of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation (ASMOF) Victoria’s 10,500 members participated in the ballot, which opened on Monday, October 5, and closed at 7pm on Wednesday, October 7.
The rejected offer from the Victorian Labor Government, led by Premier Jacinta Allan’s successor in the release’s reference to the Carroll Labor Government, followed statewide industrial action on October 1.
It proposed a 12-month pay deal featuring a lump-sum payment and a 10% pay increase for doctors in training.
ASMOF Victoria president, Dr. Roderick McRae said doctors wanted lasting workplace reforms rather than short-term financial incentives.
“Our doctors are focused on achieving long-term health reform for the people of Victoria, not short-term sugar hits for themselves,” Dr. McRae said.
He acknowledged that the government had presented an offer after 16 months of negotiations but said it would not adequately address the challenges facing doctors and their patients.
Dr. McRae said fatigue posed a serious threat to patient safety and argued that chronic understaffing needed to be addressed through competitive base salaries that could attract and retain doctors in Victoria.
“We need a committed and robust solution to both pay and unsustainable working hours, fatigue and understaffing across Victorian hospitals.
“Addressing these issues is critical in protecting patient safety and ensuring we can provide the healthcare the people of Victoria deserve," he said.
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria president Dr. Simon Judkins said doctors were concerned about the future of the state’s public healthcare system.
“Every day our doctors struggle against the inadequacies of the Victorian health system, often at great personal cost,” Dr. Judkins said.
He said relentless workplace pressure, chronic fatigue and the risk of burnout were taking a heavy toll on doctors expected to make critical decisions while maintaining high standards of patient care.
Judkins said doctors wanted reforms that addressed excessive working hours and systemic understaffing, alongside better resourcing and support for public hospitals.
“We are deeply committed to ensuring our hospitals are better resourced, with doctors who are properly supported to provide the quality standard of healthcare the people of Victoria need,” he said.
The doctors’ organisations said they remained willing to continue discussions with the government to secure a deal addressing pay and broader workplace concerns.
