QLD:Qld payroll bungle costs $4m and rising

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2010
QLD:Qld payroll bungle costs $4m and rising

BRISBANE, Aug 13 AAP - Fixing Queensland's health payroll bungle has cost taxpayers
at least $4 million, Treasurer Andrew Fraser says.

A new system introduced in March saw hundreds of Queensland Health staff underpaid,
overpaid or not paid at all.

Queensland Health is currently rolling out a new local payroll model - known as a pay
hub - to service every hospital by September 30.

Mr Fraser told ABC radio the payroll system cost around $20 million to implement and
to date had cost another $4 million to fix the problems, including putting on extra staff.

He said the changes would "go a long, long way" towards fixing the payment problems,
which nurses say are continuing.

"I've spoken to doctors and nurses in my own electorate. I've spoken to parents at
my kid's school who have been affected," Mr Fraser said.

"They speak about it forcefully, but they don't yell and scream.

"Like with others in the system I apologise to them and can only reinforce we are doing
everything we can to solve it - it's not in anyone's interest that this goes on."

AAP pjo/jl

KEYWORD: PAYROLL

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