NSW state election 2023: Chris Minns announces plan to clear elective surgery waitlist, guarantees wage rises

Opposition Leader Chris Minns is currying favour with essential workers with a “guarantee” he says the state simply must give.

Opposition Leader Chris Minns has guaranteed wages for public service sector workers will rise more than 3.5 per cent under NSW Labor’s plan to scrap the wages cap.

Asked on Tuesday, Mr Minns confirmed that “essential workers will be better off under Labor” and wages will increase beyond what has been promised by the government.

The cap is in place to give workers a 3 per cent increase in 2022-23 and up to 3.5 per cent in 2023-24.

“I can guarantee that as a result of the fact that we know that there’s budget savings and productivity gains with our strict economic rules in place,” he said.

However, when asked when workers could expect a pay bump, Mr Minns said “negotiations” would need to occur first.

The Opposition Leader confirmed frontline workers in the public system would be paid more under Labor. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

As recently as last Wednesday during a Channel 9 debate, the Labor leader said: “I don‘t think it’s radical that NSW has the same provisions in place that every other state in the country has. The implications of not doing it is we will not be able to retain teachers, nurses and paramedics.”

The opposition’s decision to scrap the cap has received heavy criticism from the Coalition, who claim the budget is unable to accommodate the measure.

Chris Minns said it was essential to scrap the wage cap in order to retain and attract frontline workers. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Surgical taskforce, expert to tackle ramping

On Monday, the NSW opposition also promised a surgical care taskforce to tackle the state’s near-100,000 person waitlist for elective surgeries.

Elective surgeries are classified as medically necessary but non-emergency procedures, which also includes urgent procedures like the removal of malignant skin lesions or congenital heart surgery. Elective surgeries are classified into three categories (urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent cases), with treatment recommended within 30 days for urgent case.

Mr Minns said the taskforce would be charged with reducing the elective surgery backlog and ensuring people receive treatment within the clinically established time frames.

The taskforce will be comprised of clinical, logistics and operations experts, plus past and present public health servants and department representatives.

Chris Minns’ taskforce will be charged with reducing the elective surgery backlog. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“After 12 years of Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals, our health system is under-resourced, overstretched and overworked and our frontline workers are leaving,” he said.

“It’s why we are seeing wait time blowouts. But Dominic Perrottet says everything is fine. How can you fix a problem you refuse to acknowledge exists?”

Labor health spokesman Ryan Park said elective surgeries were essential for people to “go about their everyday life”.

“It is procedures like knee and hip replacements, cataract removal and for kids things like having their tonsils removed,” he said.

Waitlists for elective surgeries had yet to reach pre-Covid levels. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

A Bureau of Health Information report released earlier this month elective shows surgery figures between October to December 2022 had yet to recover to pre-Covid levels.

More than 17,000 patients needing elective surgery in NSW waited longer than what was clinically recommended, with 33 per cent of those cases requiring semi-urgent procedures that should have been undertaken within 90 days.

Mr Minns also said a senior expert or clinician would be appointed to tackle ambulance ramping, the practice where paramedics and vehicles are stuck outside hospitals, with patients unable to access care and paramedics unable to respond to new calls.

Whoever takes up the role would be tasked to oversee patient flow and trial and test new systems, with Mr Minns promising consultation from healthcare professionals.

“We’re committed to working with paramedics in NSW to ensure that when we have professional recognition of their work, (and) we can have enhanced scope of practice,” he said.

“It means paramedics can do more in the community, more at home, and less pressure on our emergency department.”