Health workers, unions and the Greens are intensely opposing the Tasmanian Government’s plan to slash the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) staff by nearly 60%.
The ANMF and HACSU, are taking action, warning the cuts will decimate cancer research and eliminate a crucial source of hope and treatment for patients with limited options. They call the move heartless, short-sighted and an attack on medical innovation, arguing it will ultimately cost the government more by increasing patient reliance on traditional care.
Media release – The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch, 13 October 2025
ANMF Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd said the Tasmanian Government and the Department of Health are ploughing ahead with plans to decimate the Clinical Trials Unit at The Royal Hobart Hospital.
“ANMF members will be taking action in their lunch break, calling on the community to join them in lobbying their local politicians in an effort to save the CTU in the upcoming Tasmanian Budget.
“The ANMF has raised this matter directly with the Health Minister Bridget Archer.
“On behalf of members, we put forward further correspondence to the Minister highlighting that clinical trials have been impacted by the delays by the Department of Health approval committee.“The committee signs off on clinical trials and as a result many trials that would have been fully funded were withdrawn due to the delays.
“There have also been options for additional trials, which would have resulted in savings of up to $25,000 per patient. But to date, this has been ignored by the Department of Health.”
Shepherd said the ANMF was advised the Department of Health would meet to discuss a workload model weeks ago.
“Yet no meeting has been established and the ANMF has had to forge ahead with a dispute in the Industrial Commission, with another conciliation meeting due this week.
“If the Tasmanian Government thinks that cutting the Clinical Trials Unit is going to save them money, then it is deluded.
“Cuts to the Trial Unit will only result in a greater reliance on the Tasmanian Government by the patients who would have been offered better quality of life or even a cure.
“This decision is short-sighted, ill-informed and flies in the face of evidence-based research which shows the increasing incidence of cancer in Tasmania and across Australia.
“There are targeted therapies established out of research like that undertaken at the RHH CTU, ultimately stemming the rising tide of cancer diagnoses,” said Shepherd.
Media release – Health and Community Services Union, 13 October 2025
Health workers ramp up fight to protect critical Tasmanian cancer trials
HACSU members from the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) today held a 30-minute stop work rally, escalating their fight to protect the future of lifesaving cancer research and treatment in Tasmania.
The action follows a breakdown in talks over the government’s push to slash CTU staffing by 58 per cent, a move workers warn will devastate vital clinical trials that give cancer patients access to therapies that not only deliver potential new cures, but provide dignity, support and a chance for life.
“Behind every one of these clinical trials is a Tasmanian who has run out of conventional cancer treatment options.
“We’re talking about someone’s family member, friend, neighbour or work colleague holding on to hope. Cutting these jobs means cutting that hope,” HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore says.
Moore added that protecting these roles is not only about safeguarding jobs but about defending medical research, compassion and the opportunity for a better future for cancer patients.
“These workers are fighting for every Tasmanian who has sat in a doctor’s office and heard the words ‘there’s nothing more we can do’.
“They’re fighting to keep hope alive for those living with cancer and making sure they can still access the groundbreaking treatments and research that give them a fighting chance.
“If these cuts go ahead, Tasmania risks becoming a place where medical innovation dies and where patients are told to go elsewhere to survive,” he added.
HACSU is calling on the Rockliff government to immediately scrap its plan to cut staff from the CTU and instead work collaboratively with the professionals who drive this critical research and care.
“This is not the moment to step back from innovation and care, it’s the moment for Jeremy Rockliff to lead with courage and compassion. Tasmania should be a place where we don’t give up on people, where we fight for every day, every discovery and every life,” Moore says.
Media release – Cecily Rosol MHA, Greens Health Spokesperson, 13 October 2025
Greens Stand with HACSU Workers
The Tasmanian Greens strongly support HACSU and Clinical Trials Unit workers who are holding a stop work rally at the Royal Hobart Hospital today.
The Clinical Trials Unit is a critical part of the Royal and the entire state’s health system. It offers Tasmanians who are battling cancer opportunities to access cutting edge new treatments that would otherwise be unavailable to them. It plays a significant role in the development of innovative new approaches that will help save lives and improve outcomes in the future.
If you asked any everyday Tasmanian, they would make it clear that cancer research and treatment should be an absolute priority and never subject to cuts. But instead, the Liberals are planning to slash the workforce of the CTU by nearly 60%.
This is a heartless and shameful move.
The Rockliff Government must abandon it’s plans for cuts and work with the union and staff on delivering a positive way forward for the CTU.
After 11 years of Liberal Government, it’s obvious to everyone that the budget is in a terrible position. But rather than dealing with this problem by making cuts to essential parts of our health system, we should be looking at other options – like making big corporations pay their fair share and scrapping their costly stadium.
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