With continued access to the NSW State Industrial Relations Commission, including access to arbitration of pay increases, NSW public sector health workers in our classifications enjoy professional rates of pay, with pay rates over the border now streets ahead of ours.

Dietitians are a case in point. At the top of Grade 1 (i.e the first classification level after graduation) NSW dietitians are paid a whopping $18,000 pa more than their counterparts in Victoria. At the top of grade 3, the difference is $15,000 pa.  

So glaring are the inequities between NSW and Victoria that the proposed new Albury/Wodonga Health Service, which will be incorporated in Victoria, will have split employment arrangements for health workers. Staff working predominantly on the Albury, NSW campus will get NSW rates but those who work in Wodonga across the border in Victoria, doing the same work, will get the lean Victorian rates. The NSW Government is not prepared to allow its health workers to come under Workchoices which would mean a loss of access to arbitration and loss of unfair dismissal rights (they will stay under the NSW IR system); the Victorian Government does not care and is not prepared to meet NSW pay rates.