Two salaried doctors in the region, employed by the Limestone Coast Local Health Network, are paid yearly salaries of around $700,000 each.
But why, Independent Member for MacKillop Nick McBride questioned Health Minister Chris Picton in the House of Assembly last month.
Mr McBride quizzed the minister about what these roles were that were paying that amount and where they were based.
He quoted figures from the Limestone Coast Local Health Network in the 2023/24 report of the Auditor-General.
Through his question, Mr McBride said the two staff members were being paid between $686,000 and $726,000 per annum, and four other staff were being paid between $446,000 and $486,000.
“Can the minister explain what these roles are that are paying that amount and where are they based?” he questioned.
In his response, Mr Picton defended his department’s decision to employ the two salaried doctors, saying there were incredibly hardworking and talented medical professionals in the state, and they certainly get paid sums more than anybody in this house in many regards, particularly the senior consultants.
“I refer you (Mr McBride) to page 115 of the report, which breaks down those executives, medical numbers, non-medical numbers, nursing for employees based on their salary range.”
“You can see very clearly those people paid above $166,000 in the system, 3,144 of whom are doctors, and, as the scale goes up, the higher is the percentage of doctors,” the minister said.
Mr Picton said there was an enterprise bargaining arrangement in place with the Salaried Medical Officers Enterprise Agreement (SASMOA) and with the doctors in this state that set the salaries and conditions available for doctors in the state.
“For our very senior doctors, there are some significant remunerations available.
“This, of course, does make it an attractive place for us to be able to recruit staff, particularly when you compare the salaries that we pay for doctors to, for instance, those in the United Kingdom.
“We pay significantly more, both in terms of base salary but also a wide array of different allowances compared to what the UK will pay.
“I have done media in the UK highlighting that fact, that actually we pay significantly more than what the UK does, and that is why Australia, but particularly South Australia, has been able to attract a number of those doctors to work here.”
On the additional staff information sought by Mr McBride, the minister said he would check the details and provide a response on notice.
“I will check the details, and I am happy to provide a response on notice to the member, but I suspect that what has happened on the Limestone Coast is that we have employed more senior doctors, and those more senior doctors come at a significant salary rate compared to other staff in the system.
“Going back to our previous discussion of locums, in many cases the alternative is having to employ locums.
“It is much better in many regards for us to employ those people as salaried doctors in the system.
“That may well be full credit to the Limestone Coast Health Network that has been able to employ and recruit more of those senior clinicians to work directly for the health system, rather than relying upon locum arrangements.
“We will check the exact details of those additional staff on the Limestone Coast. But certainly, when you are talking about those pay brackets and you compare them to that table for the system as a whole, I am willing to be reasonably confident in assuring the member that they would be doctors working on the Limestone Coast.”
This article appeared in the Naracoorte News.
