This week, my government reached a landmark agreement with the NSW paramedics for a record pay increase.

From the very beginning my Government wanted to deliver professional pay and recognition for paramedics.

This follows 12 years of wage suppression and a difficult budget position left by the previous Liberal National Government.

Under the previous Government's wage cap, our paramedics were the lowest paid in Australia, creating a recruitment and retention crisis.

That is why we have delivered a pay rise that will stop paramedics from leaving and recognises the immense value they provide our communities.

In delivering professional rates our first priority is to retain our existing paramedics while still being able to recruit paramedics where they are needed the most.

A decade of failure to invest in our frontline workers cannot be fixed overnight.

However, due to my Government's careful and responsible approach to repairing the budget and reprioritising spending we have been able to provide this record pay increase to our paramedics without privatisation or imposing an unfair wage cap on our essential workers.

We are a government with a clear focus - managing our finances responsibly so we can provide support when you need it most and improve the essential services that we all rely on, now and into the future.

I want to thank our incredible paramedics for their ongoing dedication and hard work and for the quality of care that they provide to our community on what is often the worst day of their lives.

Yours sincerely,

The Hon. Chris Minns MP
The Premier of New South Wales
Member for Kogarah