Mental health workforce
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (12:23): (833) My question is directed to the Minister for Mental Health. Victorian mental health workers have resorted to industrial action after seven months of negotiations to get a decent deal for the public mental health EBA. Unfortunately, the Victorian government continues to utilise the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association as a bargaining agent instead of handling its own bargaining as the employer. Mental health workers are subject to increasing levels of occupational violence and are underpaid and overworked, and too many workers burn out and leave the sector. Along with provisions to address the stagnant wages, mental health workers are demanding improved staffing ratios and measures to ensure that their workplaces are safe. The response from this government is a substandard wages offer that does not even come close to key staffing and safety issues. Can the minister explain why this vital sector is once again caught in protracted bargaining?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:24): I thank Mr Ettershank for his question. As I have said in the Parliament and outside the Parliament many times, I have got nothing but the highest amount of respect for our mental health workforce. They are the backbone of our mental health system. They do incredibly challenging work and it is often when consumers are at the lowest point in their lives. So you will, as I have said before, never hear a bad word out of my mouth when it comes to the skills and the dedication of our mental health workforce. It is one of the reasons why we have invested over $600 million to skill up, retain and attract new workers to this sector, and that has seen workforce growth of 25 per cent, which is I think around double historic averages. That is certainly evidence of our strong support as a government for the workforce in this sector. I absolutely support the right of those workers to collectively bargain through their unions, and that process is continuing in good faith.
In relation to the VHIA, what I would say to you, Mr Ettershank, about that is that it is appropriate that they are involved, given that there are 18 separate health services that are involved in the bargaining and that the employment relationship is directly between those workers and those health services, so they do play a role. But of course with all health industrial bargaining negotiations, we do have our departments involved, and the Department of Health officials are certainly in attendance at all of these meetings to ensure that the bargaining is continuing in good faith, is fair and the outcomes for our mental health workforce are appropriate. I am confident that the fortnightly meetings are continuing – or actually I think it is twice weekly that the meetings are continuing – and that we will be able to resolve this agreement in terms that are acceptable and reasonable and fair to this amazing workforce.
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (12:26): I thank the minister for her response. The 2020 EBA negotiations lasted for more than 2½°years as the VHIA dragged out these negotiations, with no consequences for them but painful consequences for the workers, who waited years for a pay rise. This time, unions asked that a former commissioner be present to speed up the bargaining process and ensure that no agreements or clauses get lost, as happens all too often. Unions and workers want to see this EBA give life to the recommendations of the royal commission – an outcome the government surely desires as well. Yet after seven months of negotiation, the current offer fails mental health workers and does not progress the objectives of the royal commission recommendations. Notwithstanding the range of health services involved, why does the government continue to outsource its bargaining responsibilities to the VHIA, who have well-demonstrated form in drawing out negotiations to the detriment of our health workers?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:27): I thank Mr Ettershank for his supplementary question, and I certainly would not characterise the role of the VHIA as some sort of outsourcing arrangement. There are direct employment relationships between the workforce covered by this particular industrial instrument and individual health services. It is not for me to say that the VHIA ought not to have a role, given that health services have supported their role as the peak in these negotiations. What I will say, though, is that following representations from the unions, I was very happy for former Fair Work commissioner Michelle Bissett, who is a highly regarded industrial relations practitioner, to be involved in the bargaining to facilitate those talks, because we all want to see a swift and fair and reasonable outcome to these negotiations.