Newly graduated nurses and midwives would be lured into the public health system with a $5000 sign-on bonus under a Labor election promise, as the coalition earmarks $66 million for surgery technology.
Speaking at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation office in Melbourne on Wednesday, Premier Daniel Andrews announced a $150 million health package if his government is re-elected on November 26.
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Under the plan, a $2500 bonus would be paid to graduate nurses and midwives when they enter the public health system between 2022 and 24 and a further $2500 after two years of employment.
"You'll receive a $5000 sign on bonus to say thank you for choosing public patients in public hospitals," Mr Andrews told reporters.
Labor has also committed to hiring an extra 450 nurses and strengthening nurse- and midwife-to-patient ratios under legislative changes.
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The Federation's state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the proposal would allow more workers to take up flexible hours and address major concerns such as the number of midwives working overnight.
Ms Fitzpatrick expressed disappointment with how the coalition has engaged with the union, declaring she has had one meeting with opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier and didn't hear back from Liberal leader Matthew Guy after a request for information.
During a televised debate with Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas on Monday, Ms Crozier denied she did not consult with the federation and said she talked to clinicians, doctors and nurses in her travels.
Ms Crozier doubled down on Wednesday, saying she did not lie and is not surprised that a Labor-aligned union would stand with the government.
Wednesday's sign-on promise follows an earlier Labor pledge to pay off university degrees for more than 10,000 nurses and midwives students who enrol in 2023 and 2024 and work two years in the public system.
In the city's outer southeast, Mr Guy was spruiking his own health-minded promise to spent $66 million on nine additional surgery robots in eight public hospitals across the state.
"It will assist with having elective surgery waiting lists in our first term, which is a very, very achievable goal of ours," he told reporters in Frankston.
Sixteen of the robots, which are used for soft-tissue surgeries such as prostate, renal and uterine cancers, are already in operation in the state's private system and two in private hospitals.
Latest data shows almost 85,000 Victorians are on the state's elective surgery waiting list, about 1000 fewer people than in June, but nearly double the number before the pandemic.
The coalition has previously promised $325 million to recruit 40,000 nurses and offer scholarships to over the cost of 25,000 degrees.
Mr Guy would not say whether he would match Labor's sign-on bonus promise if he becomes premier from November 26, but has "no intention" to change nurse-to-patient ratios.