The ballot on your AHP agreement has now closed, and a clear majority of you voted to accept the Allied Health Professionals Agreement offer.

It’s been a long and difficult campaign to get to this result, but there’s no doubt that your commitment to standing up for your patients and colleagues made this possible. In December you were brave, and together we sent a strong message to the government that they would have to come back to the table with a better offer that addressed the recruitment and retention crisis you’re facing.

HACSU members’ willingness to take action is the reason that you’re receiving a significantly better offer. These are some of the improvements we’ve just won:

• A base wage increase of 3.5% in 2022 and 3% in 2023 and 2024

• A further series of structural salary adjustments which will see graduate salaries go up by over $5,000 a year (7.6 – 7.9%) in the first year, and other levels increased between 4.2% and 9%. These adjustments will see all AHPs receiving increases worth thousands of dollars a year.

• Updated criteria for competency progression and accelerated competency progression

• A preceptor allowance for AHPs

• A new clause for personal progression from AHP level 2 to AHP level 3

• An increase of the AHP Professional Development Fund to $1000 per annum

• The addition of classification levels for Level 4b and Level 5 Grade 5 and Grade 6 to address identified career structure issues

• An increase to paid parental leave and expansions to include grandparents where they are the primary caregiver

• Foster care and surrogacy leave

• Paid cultural leave and recognition of Aboriginal kinship for leave purposes

• The inclusion of gender transition leave

• Increased family violence leave to 20 days

These changes will assist with the crisis your services are facing, but they will not completely solve it. We know that workloads are still at unacceptable levels, and together we must continue to use the workload provisions in the Award to hold the government to account to protect yourself, your patients, and your colleagues.

It’s time to keep campaigning and push responsibility up the chain to force management to take your concerns seriously and address the resourcing shortfalls and service gaps you’re facing.

Given the outcome of this vote, HACSU will now work to have your new agreement registered in the Tasmanian Industrial Commission which will ensure you get your pay rise and improved conditions as soon as possible. We’ll keep you up to date with more information as it comes.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please get in touch with us through HACSUassist.