The Price is Not Right: inside the mass psychiatrist resignation

An interview with a source from within the NSW Mental Health crisis

Next Tuesday morning, residents of New South Wales could be waking up to a much lighter mental health workforce, with over two-thirds of the state’s publically appointed psychiatrists gone.

It is the pointy end of multiple attempts at negotiating with NSW Health for a pay rise that would make consultant psychiatrists’ salaries commensurate with their workload and expertise, and on par with the surrounding states - specifically a rise of 25%. Having failed to convince the government, these psychiatrists have voted to leave the public service - not strike, but actually resign - effective in seven days from now. The NSW Health Minister, the Hon. Ryan Park’s pleas at a national press-conference recently to “please don’t do this,” have been met with derision by the medical community, with the Minister’s actions being likened to that of a ‘14 year old boy going through a break up for the first time’. Similarly, NSW Health social media pages have turned off the ability to comment on many of …