Doctors at several major hospitals across Melbourne went on strike on Friday last week, marking the first public health system strike in 20 years.

The strike took place between the hours of 12:30–4pm on Grattan street in Carlton, outside The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Medical procedures at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, St Vincent’s and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre are to be impacted by the strike, but critical medical roles including those who work in the Emergency Department continued working despite the demonstration.

The industrial action followed a 12-month pay dispute with the Victorian Government and claims of unsafe conditions and workloads for doctors. 

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria, which represents all doctors across the state’s medical landscape, championed this demonstration to combat current working conditions.

According to the AMA Victoria website, overtime work and unsafe hours are now common across the healthcare system, with doctors being asked to work longer hours with limited leave time, as well as decreased funding and increased administrative demands.

“Doctors are under more pressure at work than ever,” the Union said. 

A 2023 report by the Victorian Department of Health found that one in four surveyed hospital workers experienced high to severe stress at work and the proportion experiencing high to severe stress increased by 26.8 per cent from 2019 to 2022. 

AMA Victoria said that when doctors are overworked and underpaid, patients wait times and care suffers as a consequence. 

“Doctors’ working conditions are patients’ treatment conditions,” they said. 

The Union said that providing patients with the best possible care is the number one priority for Victoria’s doctors, but current conditions they work under are falling behind the standard of care they provide.

Since July 2025, representatives for AMA Victoria and The Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation (ASMOF) have met with the state government to negotiate working conditions for public hospital doctors. 

But after months of negotiations, the Union and the Victorian Government have still not reached an acceptable settlement that “properly recognises the work and contribution of Victoria’s public hospital doctors,” according to the Union.

Grant Forsyth, the Director of Workplace Relations at AMA Victoria, alleged that today’s strike comes after the planned stoppage of work was postponed from Thursday last week due to a “technical objection” to the action by the state Government.

“After 12 months of negotiations, the Government should be listening to what doctors have to say and making them an offer,” he said.

Image source: ABC News / Natalie Whiting