Bulletin 5 - improved offer for a new medical officers (NTPS) enterprise agreement

Improved offer for new enterprise agreement

On 21 January 2026 I made an improved offer to Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (NT) (ASMOF), for a new enterprise agreement to replace the existing Medical Officers’ Northern Territory Public Sector 2022 - 2025 Enterprise Agreement.

The improved offer has been developed taking into consideration ASMOF’s claims and their feedback on my original offer.  It includes a new simplified salary spine providing equity across the craft groups recognising years of equivalent service and qualifications, as well as new increment points, faster pay progressions, and improved leave and allowances amongst a range of other improvements.

This improved offer will provide total additional salary increase of 11.25% (compounding over four years), in addition to the significant improvements resulting from the simplified salary spine, which includes immediate increases of up to 14.16% for registrars, and up to 10.62% for senior rural generalists and senior rural medical practitioners (and access to these improved salaries for other medical officers).

This offer remains is consistent with the Wages Policy, and the terms comprise a complete package of improvements and amendments to the terms and conditions of employment.  To read the details of the full offer, you can review the improved offer PDF (357.3 KB).

Key improvements

1. Salary and allowance increases

   In addition to the improved salaries under a new simplified salary spine, providing this offer is accepted when put to the vote, additional salary and allowance increases of 0.2% (total of 0.6%) will be applied to the final three years of the agreement, as follows:

   • 2.7% from the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 January 2026
   • 2.7% (up 0.2%) from the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 January 2027
   • 2.7% (up 0.2%) from the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 January 2028
   • 2.7% (up 0.2%) from the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 January 2029

   This provides a total headline salary increase of 10.8%, or approximately 11.25% compounding over the four year term of the agreement.

2. Improved parental leave provision

   Medical officers will be able to request to opt out of night shifts in the third trimester of their pregnancy under the new agreement.  During bargaining it was also identified there were a number of claims already covered such as combining parental leave entitlements where both parents are employees of the NTPS.

3. Advanced recreation leave – Determination 1058 of 2024 included into the agreement

   This will provide Medical officers with access to up to a maximum of 4 weeks recreation leave in advance of it accruing during their first year of employment (excluding specialists and other senior medical officers).

4. Mandatory day off when moving between towns

   Medical officers will be provided with a break of 24 hours (or other reasonable period, depending on distance/location and mode of travel) for moving between towns, where they are moving to take up mandatory rotations.

5. Improved flexible work principles

   Medical officer requests for flexible work arrangements will be considered favourably on a case-by-case basis; and ‘work from home’ requests will be considered on their merits with no predetermined frequency on when an employee can work from home.

6. Workplace delegate rights

   The agreement will now provide ‘Workplace delegate rights’ for medical officers who are appointed and recognised as a workplace delegate for ASMOF.

7. Other matters

   In terms of other bargaining matters raised during negotiations I have also provided the following commitments and improvements:

   1. Correctional centre staffing arrangements

      The Department of Health Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) will consider reform arrangements and the various pathways for staffing the correctional centre environments. Matters may be raised through these channels at regular JCC meetings.

   2. 48-hour breaks after run of night shifts

      Further to the inclusion of providing at least a 48-hour break after a run of night shifts (two or more), the Medical Executive Leadership Committee (MELC) will review roster arrangements across the various locations and divisions to consider local-level arrangements that provide greater break periods.

   3. Rosters

      The department is committed to working with ASMOF on rostering issues by having a standing item on the JCC for delegates to raise concerns, in addition to the MELC review noted above.

   4. Improvement to carry over of professional development leave

      In addition to allowing carry-over of professional development leave to a subsequent year (with increased leave for some classifications), provisions have been expanded to specify that it may be carried over as part of a work partnership plan or an equivalent individual learning plan process.

   5. Paid meal breaks

      Medical officers may claim payment for a meal break period they were unable to take during their shift. The department has committed to remind medical officers of these provisions through usual communication channels to all staff groups. The department and employee groups may also consider variations to the agreement arrangements to address meal break provisions.

So that medical officers can have access to these new terms and conditions of employment, including the back payment of salaries and allowances as soon as possible, I believe that it is now time to give you the opportunity to vote on the proposed agreement.

Online ballot process – your vote is confidential

On Friday 23 January 2026, you will be sent information regarding the proposed NTPS Medical Officer Enterprise Agreement, including a link to the proposed agreement and an explanatory document highlighting the changes compared with your current agreement.

Hard copies of these documents will also be available throughout your workplace. This will provide you the opportunity to understand the offer and see what changes are proposed.

The ballot process will be conducted by Vero Engagement and Voting Solutions Pty Ltd (Vero). You will be sent an email link by Vero on Friday 6 February 2026, which will provide your unique login credentials and details about how to cast your confidential electronic vote.

The online ballot will be emailed to you using your email account details contained in myHR. If you won’t have access to your NTPS email during the ballot period or would prefer the electronic ballot to be sent to your private email account, please contact support@verovoting.com.au or call 1300 702 898 and provide your updated details as soon as possible.

Ballot timetable

The timetable for the ballot is:

The ballot count will be conducted at the Vero Voting office (5/100 Railway Road, Subiaco WA 6008). I will advise ballot result via a bulletin and notice on the enterprise bargaining website for the Medical Officers (NTPS) Enterprise Agreement.

More information

Regular bargaining updates will be posted on this website.

Commissioner for Public Employment
22 January 2026