Community
24 July, 2026
Workers rally for equality
ALLIED health professionals rallied outside the Warrnambool Base Hospital on Wednesday, voicing their concerns over pay and workforce conditions.
The workers’ dispute with the state government continues to escalate across regional Victoria as workers demand a pay rise that reflects a Fair Work Commission finding of historical, gender-based undervaluation of their work.
This week’s rally in Warrnambool followed a 24-hour state-wide strike of thousands of allied health workers on June 16 and is part of continuing escalation after the government’s latest wage offer significantly undercut the value of allied health work.
The offer, which landed most professionals a rise of between 19 and 21 per cent, came despite the FWC handing down a decision on allied health this year that closely mirrored the ruling used to deliver a landmark gender equity outcome for Victorian nurses in 2024.
VAHPA (Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association) represents physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, podiatrists, social workers, sonographers, radiographers and a wide range of other allied health professionals working across the state’s public health services.
VAHPA executive officer Andrew Hewat said the action reflected how far the dispute now reaches beyond the regional centres already affected.
“South West Healthcare is the major public health provider for the whole south west, and the allied health professionals working there hold that region together,” Mr Hewat said.
“When the government refuses to properly value this workforce, it is patients and communities right across the south west who are left to deal with the consequences.
“We have already seen workers in Geelong, Shepparton and Bendigo take a stand. Warrnambool is the latest, and the message from every region is the same.
“The state government has had every opportunity to respond to a clear Fair Work Commission finding on gender undervaluation and has instead offered wages that fell short of what these workers have earned. They have been left with no choice but to keep acting.”
