Tim Jacobson: Public sector change/Health care future

STATE SECRETARY TIM JACOBSON

IN NOVEMBER 2020 the state government released its interim report from the Review of the Tasmanian State Service.

The report can be read here, and any public sector member should have concerns about the review. The government set a 31 March 2021 release date for the final report but we expressed concern in the media and directly with government that this deadline was too soon. The breadth of the terms of reference and the review itself seemed to be very rushed, and the government has now pushed release of the report back to 31 May. The two month delay is welcome but we still believe the review is being hurried, particularly with so much uncertainty about the public sector's role in a post-COVID world. Arriving at a final decision and making significant recommendations and changes during a global pandemic is very risky and could lead to undesirable consequences. The pandemic isn't over, and how long COVID-19 will exist in a way that presents risks to public health and our economy is unknown, as are the consequences of this. This review is significant as it deals with public sector structures and governance while also touching on many issues relating to employment and workers’ rights. The review makes many meritorious points but there are some that are extremely worrying so, as always, the devil will be in the detail. We provided an extensive response to the interim report and associated issues papers and this can be read here. It follows two previous submissions, HACSU response to the Terms of Reference of the Review of the Tasmanian State Service - January 2020 and Submission into the Review of the Tasmanian State Service - October 2020. Since the outset, we've had serious concerns about the review and we again voiced our issue with the haste in which it was being done. There were just 26 submissions to the review - only 10 were substantial and not all responded to all the terms of reference. We think this low rate is due to the short timeframes and because the pandemic created an environment where all workers were distracted by the immediate workload pressures they were experiencing. We encourage members to read the report and our response and let us know of anything else of concern. Our public sector is vitally important for all Tasmanians and for the workers who keep it running each day.

OUR HEALTH CARE FUTURE

The government recently released an extensive consultation paper called Health Workforce 2040.

It's a 20-year workforce strategy for Tasmania that includes allied health, medical and nursing and midwifery. The purpose is to shape a health workforce to meet the needs of Tasmanians now and in the future, looks after those who spend their careers looking after others, and supports our health professionals to follow their career ambitions. The strategy is divided into four documents - a strategic volume and a volume each for allied health, medicine and nursing & midwifery - and is available here. We've provided an initial response that included a great deal of feedback from members, which you can read here. We continue pushing for better, safer conditions for all of our members and, of course, we’re here to deal with your own workplace matters. Take care and stay strong, we’re proud to represent you.