HUNDREDS of allied health professionals – including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, radiographers, sonographers, social workers and podiatrists – walked off the job for three hours at Peninsula University Hospital on Thursday 23 July, escalating a pay dispute with the Allan Government.
Members of the Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association (VAHPA) rallied on the street outside the Peninsula University Hospital from 2.15pm.
VAHPA has lodged a wages claim of 36 %, well above the government’s latest offer of between 19 and 21 %.
VAHPA executive officer, Andrew Hewat, said the union had to balance the need for industrial action against its members’ instincts as carers.
“Our members are carers by nature, so they don’t want to actually put the patients out, and they definitely don’t want to put the patients at risk,” said Hewat.
“But at the same time, we’re left with no alternative but to take industrial action to send the message to the government that we need to be respected and we need a genuine offer to get a decent outcome.”
Hewat said workload pressures were compounding the dispute.
“We’re suffering from huge burnout issues in terms of the volume of work and the complexity of the work keeps increasing, and the staffing levels just don’t match that.”
He told The News that allied health workers were often overlooked despite their roles across the health system.
“We’re almost like this forgotten workforce because we’re so diverse and interspersed throughout different parts of the health services, that we just get forgotten and taken for granted, and the industrial action is an opportunity for our members to highlight how important they are,” said Hewat.
Thursday’s stop work was part of a broader statewide campaign, which included a lunchtime rally at Monash Medical Centre Clayton the same day, a 24-hour statewide strike on 16 June, and regional action in Shepparton, Geelong, Bendigo and Warrnambool.
Hewat said the atmosphere outside Peninsula University Hospital was designed to get the attention of hospital management.
“There’ll be a lot of noise and action on the street outside the hospital, encouraging the passing traffic to toot their horns, so that the executives in the hospital can hear and know that we’re out the front making some colour and action,” said Hewat.
Hewat said further industrial action, including work bans on discharges, remained on the table if the government did not improve its offer, with members’ resolve stronger than ever.
“I’ve never seen them as angry and as motivated as what they are now to tell the government that they need to step up.
“This is not ending until we get a good outcome, basically.”
First published in the Mornington News – 28 July 2026
