Question on Notice 1208/2025: Recruitment campaigns for Rural Generalist

Topic

Recruitment campaigns for Rural Generalist

Question

QUESTION With reference to recruitment campaigns for Rural Generalist in Obstetrics for Cooktown, conducted by the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service since September 2024— Will the Minister provide (a) the date of publication of advertisement(s), (b) the closing date for applications following the advertisement(s), (c) the number of applications received and (d) the outcomes of those recruitment campaigns, including FTEs filled? ANSWER The Crisafulli Government will reinstate maternity services at Biloela and Cooktown hospitals, which have been on bypass since 2022. The recently released Workforce Gap Analysis Reports revealed the former government failed to secure a pipeline of health workers, especially in rural Queensland communities such as Cooktown. Persistent staffing shortages have forced critical community health services, including birthing services in Cooktown, to close under the former government. I am pleased to advise that in Cooktown, GP Anaesthetists have been successfully recruited. Efforts to recruit GP Obstetricians are underway, and all other medical officers are now fully recruited, for the first time since 2019. The detailed data requested by the Member is not centrally held or in an easily retrievable format. However, I am advised that TCHHS has undertaken an extensive recruitment campaign for GP Obstetricians, including state-wide and national advertising through professional networks, the appointment of a dedicated recruitment agency, recruitment through the TCHHS casual pool, and a targeted recruitment function in Cairns.

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