Hundreds of jobs unfilled as EBA negotiations drag on

There are more than 400 vacant, well-paid positions available in the NT public service. Find out what’s available and how much you could take home.

Hundreds of Territory public service jobs – many offering remuneration packages in excess of a quarter-of-a-million dollars and most paying more than $100,000 – remain unfilled.

There are more than 400 vacancies presently advertised on NTG’s careers in government website.

Among the jobs featured are Executive Contract Officer (ECO1) positions paying $217,533 annually, ECO2 positions offering up to $237,573 a year, medical and surgical jobs with packages up to $265,627, the lucrative Territory Investment Commissioner’s spot offering $290,986 and the chief health officer role an eye-watering $291,433-a-year package.

More than 400 of the 437 positions advertised online on Friday offered packages in excess of $100,000.

The business of electricity generation is well represented in the job ads, as well as being well paid.

An energy business solutions manager with Territory Generation, for example, will sign-up to a $217,533 package.

Surgeons don’t come cheap and the NT is struggling to recruit full-time medical staff.

But the largest proportion of ads are in medicine, with more than 100 positions online.

Australian Medical Association NT president Robert Parker said the recruitment delays went back to a failure to finalise long-running enterprise bargaining agreements.

Dr Parker said a two-year delay trying to stitch-up the medical officers’ EBA had seriously stymied health recruitment and the government’s pay freeze was also a significant road block.

Negotiations to finalise the EBA resumed in earnest when Chief Minister Natasha Fyles lifted the freeze last year.

Dr Robert Parker, the head of the AMA NT.

The AMA is seeking a six per cent annual pay increase and the government is offering three per cent.

Dr Parker hopes negotiations will be concluded within the next month.

“We’re constantly talking about the inability to recruit at the moment and the delay in finalising the EBA is a significant factor,” he said.

“It’s possible some of the issues that have come from Alice Springs are also having an impact.”

Dr Parker said to cover staffing shortfalls the Department of Health had been recruiting large numbers of locums, some being paid as much as $3000 a day.

“Specialist medical staff are a very valuable commodity in Australia and the two or three surgical positions that are vacant at the moment have impacted on the ability of Royal Darwin Hospital to function.”

DITT deputy chief executive Luke Bowen has quit the NTPS.

Surgical roles currently advertised include positions for senior orthopaedic surgeon, maxillofacial surgeon and general surgeon, each offering packages up to $257,588.

Nurses are currently also involved in an EBA process with government.

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.

And NTG will soon have to advertise for another high-profile position following the snap resignation of Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade deputy chief executive Luke Bowen who has taken up a position with the Red Meat Advisory Council after only two years in the job.

And the search continues for a new Investment Commissioner after Andy Cowan’s surprise decision to quit after little more than 18-months in the position.

The government played down the number of public service vacancies, saying it represented only approximately 2 per cent of the entire public sector workforce.

NT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Greg Ireland

However, NT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Greg Ireland said the imbalance between public sector wages and those paid in the private sector was one of the challenges to doing business in the Territory.

Mr Ireland said the last four resignations from the Chamber were staff who had taken jobs with the public service.

“It’s long been a challenge for business to compete with government when it comes to wages,” he said.

“We all know the challenge the NT has recruiting workforce whether it’s government or non-government, but it will continue to be an ongoing struggle for business while the public service dominates the employment market like it does.”