Emergency and intensive care units are excluded
The Victorian doctors strike will run for 12 hours across the state on Wednesday 21 October, with stop-work action scheduled from 7 am to 7 pm.
AMA/ASMOF Victoria says doctors are taking the action after the Carroll Labor Government failed to address understaffing, unsafe working conditions and threats to patient safety.
Emergency departments and intensive care units will be excluded from the strike. Staffing levels will remain at Saturday, 17 October 2026 levels to protect patient safety.
Doctors will also rally outside the Victorian Parliament from 1:30 pm.
ASMOF Victoria President Dr Roderick McRae said doctors’ extreme frustration with the government’s failure had led to the industrial action.
“After almost a year and a half of making little progress raising their issues with the Government, our doctors have reached the end of their patience, and next week they’ll be undertaking an unprecedented 12-hour strike across Victoria,” Dr McRae said.
ASMOF ballot rejected government offer
Dr McRae said ASMOF Victoria has 10,500 members, and that almost 90% of those who took part in a ballot rejected the government’s offer because it did not address the issues doctors had raised.
He said doctors across Victorian hospitals faced systemic understaffing, unsustainable working hours and excessive fatigue each day, which together threatened patient safety.
Dr McRae said doctors wanted a solution that addressed the problems affecting the care they provide. He argued fatigue and unsustainable hours could not be fixed without addressing understaffing, and called for base rates of pay that attract and retain doctors in Victoria.
“Currently, it is not uncommon for doctors to be rostered on for an 84-hour working week, and to work beyond those hours when emergencies occur. That is clearly unsafe for doctors and the patients they care for, and it has got to change,” he said.
AMA Victoria President Dr Simon Judkins said doctors wanted comprehensive reform that provided sustainable working conditions and safe, reliable healthcare for Victorians.
According to Dr Judkins, the Victorian health system requires doctors to work 14 to 16-hour shifts back to back, sometimes for seven days straight, while making critical decisions about patients’ welfare without error.
“They are utterly exhausted, but are still required to give their very best to the patients under their care. It’s unfair and not sustainable,” Dr Judkins said.
Dr Judkins said doctors’ willingness to take industrial action and attend public rallies in their thousands showed how deeply committed they were to change. He said the government should put forward a solution that effectively addresses their concerns.
