There will be 3,500 more frontline hospital staff if the Coalition is re-elected in New South Wales, Premier Mike Baird has announced.
At a Liberal campaign launch in Sydney, Mr Baird said 2,100 extra nurses and midwives, 700 doctors and 300 allied health professionals would be employed over the next four years.
Another 400 hospital support workers would also be recruited as the Government attempts to keep pace with increasing demand and provide staff for promised new health infrastructure.
Addressing supporters in western Sydney, where the Coalition hopes to keep seats such as East Hills, Londonderry, Drummoyne and Granville, Mr Baird said it would be a hard fight in the traditionally Labor-held area.
“The next 12 days are going to be tough days,” he told the crowd at the Parramatta RSL.
“And as we go from here I tell each and every one of you: work hard, work hard, work hard.”
Health injection not linked to power privatisation: Minister
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said the boost in health professionals was badly needed, following the Coalition’s promises to build new health infrastructures using funds raised through asset leasing.
“There needed to be not only a significant investment in health infrastructure, but a significant investment in the workforce to deliver health for New South Wales,” the AMA’s Saxon Smith said.
Health Minister Jillian Skinner was unable to say how much the extra workers would cost.
“I think the total employee-related cost budget accounts for some 70 per cent of the recurrent budget, but I haven’t done a cost analysis,” she said.
“I haven’t given a break down because it will depend on the level that we bring those staffing in – some will be new, recent graduates and others will be more experienced.”
Ms Skinner said the workforce boost was not contingent on the electricity privatisation plan, and would be covered by the recurrent health budget.
“Since we’ve been in office it’s gone up by 20 per cent [from] $15.5 billion when Labor was last in office [to] $18.7 billion this year, and it will continue to increase because of increased demand,” she said.
However, Labor’s health spokesman Walt Secord insisted asset leasing and the health budget were linked.
“They can say that this [funding] is in the forward estimates, but once they sell electricity, $1 billion in dividends is gone and that is used to pay salaries.”