WORKFORCE
WORKFORCE
“ Infrastructure such as hospitals will be “ treated as assets ”, not liabilities , with $ 13.8 billion set aside for improving and building hospitals .
scholarship for each year of study , with existing students receiving a one-off payment of $ 8,000 .
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey delivering his first budget . Image : News Corp Australia
‘ Train , recruit and retain ’
What ’ s in it for the healthcare sector ? A close look at the NSW budget
By Erin Morley
The Minns government ’ s much-anticipated first NSW budget was released on September 19 , and included $ 3.6 billion for essential services and the largest wage increase for healthcare workers in a decade .
Calls for more investment into the nursing and healthcare sector have been heard by the government for months and this budget has delivered for nurses and other frontline workers .
WHAT ’ S IN IT FOR NURSES Overall , $ 2.5 billion will be allocated to the health sector to recruit and retain workers , including $ 170.8 million into salary packaging benefits for over 50,000 health care workers .
Just over $ 419 million will be invested to hire an additional 1,200 nurses as part of the Safe-Staffing levels reform . A further $ 572.3 million will be spent over three years to allow the 1,112 full-time nurses and midwives , who were previously funded temporarily to June 2024 , to be made permanent .
Study subsidies will be given to 12,000 healthcare students at a cost of $ 121.9 million over five years , including a $ 4,000
INVESTMENT INTO WESTERN SYDNEY HOSPITALS Infrastructure such as hospitals will be ‘ treated as assets ’ instead of liabilities in this budget , with $ 13.8 billion set aside for improving and building hospitals .
This is part of the much larger $ 116.5 billion Essential Infrastructure Plan , which invests in schools and hospitals without privatising public assets .
Western Sydney is a winner overall in this year ’ s budget , especially in its hospital and infrastructure funding , which will cost the government $ 13.8 billion overall and build 600 new hospital beds in the region .
Blacktown and Mt Druitt hospitals will see $ 120 million to increase bed capacity , and Fairfield hospital is receiving a $ 550 million investment to increase its bed capacity in emergency and critical care services .
There is $ 1.3 billion to rebuild Bankstown hospital on a new site , while the already $ 400 million that has been put into the Rouse Hill hospital development will see an additional $ 700 million of funding .
The Royal Prince Alfred hospital in the Inner West also has a $ 190 million investment for upgrades .
INVESTMENT INTO REGIONAL HOSPITALS Infrastructure in regional communities will see a $ 3.8b fund , with $ 7.5m going to the Milton Ulladulla hospital , to include upgrades to its Community Cancer Service Centre in Milton .
Bathurst Hospital will get $ 200 million to improve health needs of the central west , and the south coast is receiving a new ‘ sustainable and modern ’ all-purpose hospital in Eurobodalla with a $ 260 million price tag .
Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital is receiving a $ 538 million investment to
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