Workforce Attraction Incentive Scheme

Guideline

1. Purpose
To address the workforce challenges to attract a health workforce, particularly in rural and
remote Queensland, the workforce attraction incentive scheme (incentive scheme) has been
introduced, effective from 1 July 2023.

There are two incentive scheme programs on offer:

1.1 Incentive scheme 1 - Interstate or international transfer payment
1.2 Incentive scheme 2 - Medical practitioner rural and remote transfer payment

The purpose of this guideline is to clarify the details of the incentive scheme.

2. Scope
2.1 Incentive scheme 1 - Interstate or international transfer payment
Eligible health workers must move to Queensland from interstate or international
jurisdictions to take up permanent employment in a frontline clinical role across
Queensland Health to receive:
• a $10,000 payment (less tax) following commencement
• a further $10,000 (less tax) is to be paid following the completion of 12 months of
continuous service.

IMPORTANT NOTES in relation to Incentive scheme 1 - Interstate or international transfer

payment
• Eligible health workers are defined in section 4. (Key Definitions)
• For permanent part-time employment, a pro-rata amount will be paid based on the
part-time hours of work (percentage)
• This incentive scheme does not apply to:
o Intrastate transfers
o Temporary fixed-term appointments
o Casuals
o Contractors
o Agency staff
o Visiting Medical Officer independent contractor
o Students
o Non-clinical workforce
o Other contingent workforce who are not Queensland Health permanent
appointments.

2.2 Incentive scheme 2 - Medical practitioner rural and remote transfer payment
Permanently appointed eligible medical practitioners from intrastate, interstate or
international jurisdictions who commence in a Queensland Health location identified in
the Modified Monash Model (MMM) as MM 4-7 will receive:
• $25,000 (less tax) three months following commencement
• a further $25,000 (less tax) following the completion of 12 months of continuous
service in in the MM 4-7 location or another MM 4-7 location.

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 IMPORTANT NOTES in relation to Incentive scheme 2 - Medical practitioner rural and
remote transfer payment
• For permanent part-time employment, a pro-rata amount will be paid based on the
part-time hours of work (percentage)
• Medical practitioners commencing from interstate or international jurisdictions will
be eligible for the Incentive scheme 1 - Interstate or International transfer incentive
and in addition to this scheme (Incentive scheme 2 - Medical practitioner rural and
remote transfer payment)
• Medical practitioners who wish to transfer between Queensland MM 4 -7 locations
will not be eligible for this incentive
• Medical practitioners who wish transfer from a MM 1-3 to a MM 4-7 (intra or
interstate) will be eligible
• This incentive scheme does not apply to medical practitioners who are:
o Temporary fixed-term appointments
o Casuals
o Contractors
o Locums
o Students
o Visiting Medical Officer independent contractor
o Other contingent workforce who are not Queensland Health permanent
appointments.

3. Application of the incentive scheme

The incentive scheme is in addition to Queensland Health’s industrial instruments which
provide a range of employment conditions already operating as incentives for health
workers.

3.1 Incentive scheme 1 - Interstate or international transfer payment

3.1.1 Eligible health workers for this incentive scheme will be identified through the
recruitment and selection process, managed by the employing area.
3.1.2 Full-time eligible health worker will receive a payment of $10,000, less tax and
following commencement. For part-time eligible health workers, a pro-rata
amount will be paid based on the part-time hours of work (percentage).
3.1.3 Full-time eligible health worker will receive a payment of $10,000 less tax,
following the completion of 12 months continuous service. For part-time eligible
health workers, a pro-rata amount will be paid based on the part-time hours of
work (percentage).
3.1.4 Payments are made via Queensland Health’s payroll system on the first available
pay period following commencement and following completion of 12 months
continuous service.

3.2 Incentive scheme 2 - Medical practitioner rural and remote transfer payment
3.2.1 Eligible medical practitioners for the incentive scheme will be identified through
the recruitment and selection process, managed by the employing area.
3.2.2 Three months following commencement in a location identified as MM4 and
above, full-time eligible medical practitioner will receive a payment of $25,000,
less tax. For part-time eligible health workers, a pro-rata amount will be paid
based on the part-time hours of work (percentage).
3.2.3 The full-time eligible medical practitioner will receive a payment of $25,000, less
tax, following the completion of 12 months continuous service in a location
identified as MM 4-7. For part-time eligible health workers, a pro-rata amount will
be paid based on the part-time hours of work (percentage).

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 3.2.4 Payments are made via Queensland Health’s payroll system on the first available
pay period following three months and following the completion of 12 months
continuous service in a location identified as MM 4-7.

3.3 General payment information

3.3.1 The incentive scheme payments are to be paid to individual employees via payroll
and are subject to Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) withholding to meet end of year tax
liabilities.
3.3.2 The incentive scheme payment will be treated as Ordinary Time Earnings for
Commonwealth superannuation guarantee but does not form part of
superannuable salary for State superannuation purposes.
3.3.3 The incentive scheme payment is not all purpose and is not to be included for the
calculation of overtime, penalties and leaving loading.

4. Key definitions
Eligible health worker Eligible health workers are:
for incentive scheme 1
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners,
Health Workers, Mental Health Workers and Liaison Officers
• Allied health
o Audiologists
o Clinical measurement scientists including cardiac
scientists, physiologists, sonographers, sleep and
respiratory scientists and neurophysiologists
o Dietitians
o Exercise Physiologists
o Nuclear Medicine Technologists
o Occupational therapists
o Optometrists and Orthoptists
o Orthotists and Prosthetists
o Physicists including medical physicists
o Radiochemists
o Radiation Therapists
o Perfusionists
o Pharmacists
o Physiotherapists
o Podiatrists
o Psychologists
o Radiographers
o Rehabilitation Engineering
o Social workers
o Sonographers
o Speech pathologists
• Oral Health
o Dental Prosthetists
o Dental Therapists
o Dental Technicians
o Dentists
• Medical Practitioners (see below eligibility)
• Registered Midwives
• Registered Nurses
• Paramedics, Emergency Medical Dispatchers and Patient
Transport Officers

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 • Scientists

The eligible health worker is permanently employed by

Queensland Health under the relevant Queensland Health award
and certified agreement.

Non-eligible health workers are those employed or engaged as:

• Temporary fixed-term
• Casuals
• Contractors
• Locums
• Visiting Medical Officers (contract and independent contractor)
• Non-clinical
• Students
• Other contingent workforce who are not Queensland Health
permanent appointments.
Eligible medical All Medical Practitioners (with the exception of Temporary fixed-
practitioner for incentive term, Casuals, Contractors, Locums, Visiting Medical Officers
scheme 2 (contract and independent contractor)) who relocate to take up
permanent employment to work in an MM 4-7, commencing post 1
July 2023.
Modified Monash The Modified Monash Model (MMM) is an Australian Government
Model metric to define whether a location is a city, rural, remote or very
remote. The model measures remoteness and population size on
a scale of Modified Monash (MM) category.
For the purpose of the Medical practitioner rural and remote
transfer payment, the applicable MM categories are MM4 and
above.
You can learn more about the MMM here or access a
map here (select the MMM 2019 checkbox and use QLD as the
location).
Queensland Queensland Health is the overall public health system in the
Health state of Queensland and comprises of:
• Hospital and Health Services
• the Department of Health and its divisions
• Queensland Ambulance Service.
Rural and We have more than 170 Queensland Health facilities situated
remote across large rural towns, as well as the most remote of
communities.
You can find our healthcare locations on the map of rural and
remote health facilities.
Refer to the below link for further Rural regions and locations
Rural regions and locations | Queensland Health

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