Victoria’s public healthcare workforce has grown by almost 50 per cent over the past decade – with an additional 40,365 nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals and other hospital staff in the state’s health services.

Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas today revealed that Victoria has seen the biggest yearly growth in the state’s history – recording a massive 6.7 per cent jump in new roles, with 7,664 nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and other frontline positions filled in the year to June 2024.

Amid significant and targeted investments, Victoria’s workforce has now expanded to a total of more than 122,000 full-time equivalent public healthcare workers.

This growth is in stark contrast to a health system, that under the last term of the former Liberal National Government, saw jobs slashed.

Almost one in four new roles created have been in regional and rural areas, welcoming around 9,500 nurses, doctors, allied services and hospital staff since 2014.

Since May 2022, Victoria’s workforce has grown by 12.6 per cent – with a pipeline of 5,800 more nurses and midwives and 2,217 more doctors joining the system.

In addition, Victoria’s on-road paramedic workforce has also grown by over 50 per cent since 2014.

The Labor Government continues to invest in the people delivering critical, lifesaving health services to the Victorian community, supporting initiatives that help to train, attract, and retain staff.

This includes sign-on bonuses and supports to train and upskill nurses and midwives, making it free to study nursing and midwifery, speech pathology grants and delivering Australia’s first paramedic practitioners.

The Labor Government’s massive 28.4 per cent pay rise for the nursing and midwifery workforce acknowledges that they have been historically undervalued based on gender and this agreement will incentivise new staff to have a long career in Victoria’s public hospital system.

It comes as a record $21 billion investment was delivered in this year’s Victorian Budget 2024/25 to support health services to meet increasing demand.

There is still more work to do to combat challenges in rural and regional areas, that’s why the Labor Government has established a new Midwifery Taskforce and will continue working with the Commonwealth on the implementation of a national workforce strategy.