January 18, 2025

australian nursing and midwifery federation

Shape the Future of Maternity Care: Fill Out the National Maternity Workforce Strategy Survey

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The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) is calling on all midwives to participate in a vital survey that will contribute to shaping the future of Australia’s maternity workforce. Your input is essential for building a clear understanding of the current and future challenges facing the maternity sector.

Complete the Survey Here

The National Maternity Workforce Strategy (the Strategy) 2026-2036 is an ambitious initiative aimed at building a resilient and sustainable maternity workforce across Australia. This coordinated effort is critical to ensuring that our maternity services meet the needs of Australian women now and into the future.

The Strategy focuses on supporting the attraction, retention, and development of key maternity clinicians—including midwives, obstetricians, general practitioners, and relevant allied health professionals. The ultimate goal is to ensure a sufficient and diverse maternity workforce that can provide women with the services they need, offer them a choice of care and carers, ensure cultural safety, and treat all individuals with dignity and respectTo ensure that the Strategy is effective and relevant, it will focus on practical approaches to developing talent pipelines, improving recruitment strategies, and enhancing retention efforts for all maternity clinicians.

By completing this survey, you will:

  • Help identify key issues impacting the maternity workforce.
  • Provide valuable insights on how we can improve and strengthen the sector.
  • Support the ANMF in advocating for improvements in maternity services.
  • Contribute to evidence-based advice on workforce planning.

The information gathered will directly inform the ANMF’s role in the Strategic Advisory Group, ensuring that midwives’ voices are heard and that your concerns are addressed in the Strategy.

Your voice matters. By sharing your experiences and insights, you can help ensure that the Strategy reflects the real needs of the maternity workforce and leads to tangible improvements in the way maternity care is delivered across Australia.

Estia reverses language ban on breaks 

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The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association/Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (NSW Branch) has secured a major victory for its members working at Estia Aged Care facilities.  

Estia’s Code of Conduct prohibited the use of languages other than English at all times, including while staff were on breaks. Aged care nurses and carers working at Estia Aged Care facilities found the rule unfair, and deemed it to be a breach of the Racial Discrimination Act. 

Following strong advocacy efforts by members through their union, Estia has modified its Code of Conduct, so that staff can speak languages other than English during breaks. 

This is a significant win for nurses and care workers  who were unfairly restricted by the previous policy requiring them to speak English at all times. It was won through the enforcement of workplace rights, and the collective work of NSWNMA members working at Estia Aged Care facilities. 

As a result of Estia’s backflip, staff can now speak with colleagues, make video calls to family, and connect in their own language during break times without fear of disciplinary action. 

While clear communication with residents remains a priority, and English remains the language for all work-related interactions, the change means staff can express themselves in their own language during their free time. 

This victory highlights the power of collective action. The NSWNMA/ANMF remains committed to protecting workers’ rights and fighting against workplace racism. 

The NSWNMA/ANMF remains vigilant and will closely monitor Estia’s compliance with anti-discrimination laws.  

If you encounter any issues or have questions about your language rights at work, contact the NSWNMA/ANMF immediately for support and guidance. If you are not yet a member of your aged care union, join today here. 

 

One in three workers at risk of AI, unions call for action 

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The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has warned that one in three Australian workers could be at risk of losing their jobs to Artificial Intelligence (AI) by 2030.  

A report by the Social Policy Group has found that without immediate intervention, Australians in both knowledge-based and manual work were more vulnerable to mass job losses because of AI than workers in other comparable OECD countries. 

As a result, the ACTU is calling on the federal government to intervene to protect workers, including through investment in skills training and income support for affected workers. They have also called for improved regulation of AI to ensure it is used ethically and responsibly. 

ACTU Assistant Secretary, Joseph Mitchell, highlighted the need for all workers to receive “a fair go in the digital age.” 

“The research underlines what unions have been saying for a long time: workers have a right to a strong say in the future of work. We can’t let multinationals and the biggest businesses make all the decisions on AI,” Mr Mitchell said. 

He added that workers and their unions should be involved in discussions around the future of AI, to ensure that the benefits of this innovation is spread to all Australians.  

“Workers’ rights and voices should be embedded in every government and workplace response to AI and they should be central to innovation policy going forward.” 

Unions, including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, will use consultations with the Department of Industry, Science and Resources to argue for coordinated government action to protect all workers. 

ANMF marks 100 years of struggle for nurses and midwives’ rights

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From just 700 members in 1924, the ANMF has grown to stand as Australia’s largest union, boasting a membership of more than 326,000 nurses, midwives, personal carers and students.

ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said the centenary was a time to stop and reflect on the long list of ANMF’s achievements, from fair wages and better working conditions to promoting safer healthcare practices and improved patient care.

“We have worked together in making transformative strides that have improved working conditions for nurses and midwives, while enhancing the health and aged care we’ve provided to all Australians across the country.

“The ANMF’s many, many accomplishments span decades – from establishing nursing and midwifery schools in the 1920s to the transition into university education during the 1970s and early 80s.

“Importantly, we’ve fought hard for, and won vital nurse-to- patient ratios, penalty rates, and better pay and conditions for our members. We have been instrumental in lobbying for and supporting national registration.

“While this centennial year gives us an opportunity to reflect on our significant progress, it is also a time to look forward to the work we have ahead of us, such as advancing workforce reforms, particularly strategies addressing workforce shortages, continuing to strengthen Medicare so there is equitable access to healthcare for all Australians, ensuring nurses and midwives can work to their full scope of practice, and advocating for gender pay equity.”

Nurses and midwives helping deliver new models of healthcare

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The recommendations of the ‘Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce’ Scope of Practice Review’ Final Report (‘Report’), allowing highly-trained nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to best utilise their skills, education and extensive experience, provides an important new framework for the delivery of integrated, quality healthcare services across the community, according to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF).

The ANMF welcomed several of the key reforms for the health workforce, including allowing NPs, remote area nurses and endorsed midwives, to make direct referrals for a wider range of procedures and services with MBS rebates, without the need for their patients to first-see a GP.

“We believe removing existing barriers, restrictions and inconsistencies, which have, for too long, prevented nurses and midwives from working to their full capabilities, will certainly help people in the community access and receive quality healthcare services, when and where they need it, without any financial hardship,” ANMF Federal Secretary, Annie Butler, said today.

“It’s just common-sense that a NP or a remote area nurse in a rural or rural setting should be able to order blood tests or an x-ray, without people having to drive long-distances to get a doctor to sign a form. These reforms will finally provide the broader community with integrated, efficient healthcare services, which are so badly needed in many rural and remote and Indigenous communities, where acute workforce shortages continue to impact care outcomes.”

Ms Butler said the ANMF also supported the recommendation for a new ‘bundled’ payment for maternity services, including midwifery continuity of care models, traditional midwife plus medically led models, or GP shared care models.

The proposed payment model, based on international models, would enable the maternity care team to work to their full scope when they practice across different parts of the health care system, which currently operates under separate funding arrangements, and reduce inefficiencies in the healthcare budget, caused by current MBS arrangements.

“The ANMF is analysing the full-detail of the Final Report and how it impacts our members and the people they care for, but we believe that allowing our highly-qualified nurses and midwives to work to their full scope and the breadth of their experience is a first-step in building a stronger, fairer healthcare system for all Australians,” Ms Butler added.

“Many of the recommendations align with the ANMF’s draft policies and submissions for the introduction of innovative multi-disciplined and nurse-and-midwife-led models of care. We now look forward to working with the Albanese Government, other nursing and midwifery peak organisations and key stakeholders to deliver these meaningful reforms for the benefit of the nursing and midwifery workforce and the community.”

The ANMF thanked Review Lead Professor Mark Cormack and his team for their work on the Report.

Want to hear more about this new report?

On Friday 22 November, the NSWNMA is hosting its first ever Primary Health Care Symposium in Sydney. This is a fantastic opportunity for Primary Health Care members to come together and network with their peers from across the state.  

Attendees will hear from guest presenters, including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Federal Secretary, Annie Butler, Primary Health Network representatives, and the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP).  

Don’t miss this opportunity to take a closer look at some of the key issues impacting your work, including the Australian Government’s independent Scope of Practice Review. This exclusive event will be catered, and attendees will also be able to claim six CPD hours. 

Click here to register your interest in attending on 22 November. A member from our team will be in touch to confirm if your registration has been successful. 

 

Fee-free TAFE to help fix skills shortages in nursing and aged care

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The country’s largest union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), has welcomed the Albanese Government’s commitment to expanding fee-free TAFE courses.

ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said enduring funding for free TAFE study would help address skills shortages in the nursing and aged care workforces and save students thousands of dollars a year in TAFE course fees.

“TAFE courses have proven to be a success in providing students with ‘hands-on’ training and placements in relevant healthcare settings, helping build the nation’s nursing and aged care workforce, to meet the needs of our growing, ageing population,” Ms Butler said.

“We’ve been delighted that, so far, over 300,000 women have enrolled in fee-free courses across various sectors, including nursing, aged care and disability services.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, the Albanese Government’s commitment to continue with free TAFE courses, will save a student nurse thousands of dollars a year in course fees. For example, in Queensland, a student enrolled in a Diploma of Nursing course would save almost $16,000.

“We need to urgently grow the next generation of high-quality health and aged care workers and removing cost-barriers like these will continue to attract students into care industries which are still struggling to find suitably-trained staff.

“Fee-free TAFE courses will help recruit new enrolled nurses into the profession and deliver a pipeline of suitably-trained job-ready workers and the ANMF commends the Government on its commitment to supporting the health and aged care workforce,” Ms Butler said.

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