More nurses will be employed across Tasmania’s health system as part of a recruitment blitz under the Liberals’ 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s future.

Minister for Health, Guy Barnett said a re-elected majority Liberal Government will boost recruitment efforts through a package of incentives designed to encourage more nurses to move to Tasmania, or back to Tasmania, and encourage our new graduate nurses to remain in their home State.

“We will offer a relocation allowance of up to $15,000 for nurses and midwives who relocate to Tasmania, and remain employed full-time with the Tasmanian Health Service for three years or more,” the Minister said.

“We will also offer a $10,000 scholarship for new Tasmanian graduate nurses who start with the Tasmanian Health Service and remain employed full-time for a period of three years or more.

“The Liberal Government has employed an extra 2,500 health professionals, including 1,390 nurses since 2014.

“But we know there's more work to do, and our health system still needs to be better.

“As demand increases across Australia, all states looking to recruit more nurses and midwives, and we must do everything we can to attract nurses to Tasmania.

“This $10 million package of incentives will help deliver hundreds of nurses into the Tasmanian health system.”

The nurse attraction package follows the Liberals announcement of a massive staff and cash injection into our health system, recruiting an additional 44 full-time doctors and 25 full-time nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Department, to ensure that the recently additional RHH Emergency Department will be able to operate to its maximum capacity, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Minister Barnett said that while the Liberals hire nurses, Labor fires nurses.

“Let’s compare our record:
• Liberals: We have hired more than 1,390 nurses since we were elected.
• Labor: Sacked a nurse a day for nine months.”

Under the Liberals’ 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future we will take action now on health, including recruiting more lifesaving nurses.