Abstract for presentation at 11th International Congress of Human Genetics

Development of an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for Victorian Genetic Counsellors

  • Susan Fawcett, Genetic Health Services Victoria, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Margaret Ross, Genetic Health Services Victoria, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Samantha Wake, Genetic Health Services Victoria, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Clara Gaff, Genetic Health Services Victoria, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • MaryAnne Young, Familial Cancer Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Rebecca D'Souza, Familial Cancer Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Anne Cronin, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Kathryn Bellion, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Australia
  • Prof Agnes Bankier, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
  • Rosemary Kelly, Trades Hall - Health Services Union Branch, Australia

    • The development of a professional classification and pay scale for genetic counsellors in Victoria has been on the agenda since 1997 when all genetic counsellors were employed by the Victorian Clinical Genetics Service (VCGS). The challenge was to unite professionals with varying backgrounds within one professional classification.
    An agreement was negotiated between the counsellors and VCGS which introduced a professional structure that emphasized full certification. The agreement was implemented through individual Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), rather than a collective enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA).
    In 2001 the agreement was renegotiated and the professional structure refined to place emphasis on both clinical experience and achievement of full certification. Again, the agreement was implemented through individual AWAs. By this time there were other, mainly public, health services directly employing genetic counsellors, who employed them under varying professional classifications, but utilized the genetic counsellor's remuneration scale, there being no genetic counsellor classifications under existing EBAs.
    In 2004 all genetic counsellors in Victoria agreed to seek to move to a common structure, which could be used by all current and future employers of genetic counsellors, and would bring about consistency in classification structure, remuneration and working conditions for all genetic counsellors in Victoria. Through a spirit of cooperation, genetic counsellors developed a professional classification structure. With support from the Health Services Union of Australia Branch 4 (HSUA 4) and employers of genetic counsellors, the structure and remuneration were agreed to in both the private and public sector in 2005, and were included in the relevant EBAs.
    The insights gained from the Victorian experience may be instructive and informative for genetic counsellors working in other states, or overseas.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd