Nursing and midwifery students have again been forgotten in the Federal Government’s budget.

The budget, claimed by the Morrison government to have “prioritised job creation”, has provided no additional support for students currently studying nursing or midwifery, or those looking to study these courses in the near future.

Instead, it has cut $1 billion from university funding nationally, leading to concerns about the quality of nursing and midwifery education in the future.

Students and the university sector have both lambasted the budget proposals.

Professor Margaret Gardner, Chair of Universities Australia, has described the Federal Government’s approach to university funding as “heading in the wrong direction.”

“The Government’s own figures show no increase in public funding. The Government‘s [budget] reflects a decision to make students pay more,” Professor Gardner said.

Professor Gardner’s sentiments are shared by National Union of Students’ President Zoe Ranganathan.

“Overall, the 2021 Federal Budget sets the higher education sector up to fail,” she says.

“More staff will be cut, and students will be left with bigger HECS debts. This is a government who have pretended that students don’t exist on budget night.”

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association will continue to advocate for nursing and midwifery students as members of our profession. Undergraduate student nurses and midwives can join the Association for free here.