Nursing Occupational Award Decision Praised By Anf

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23rd January 2009, 03:21pm - Views: 896






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The industrial and professional organisation for nurses and midwives in Australia


Canberra Office (Professional Services)


Unit 3, 28 Eyre Street  Kingston  ACT  2604 

Australia 

PO Box 4239  Kingston  ACT  2604  Australia

+ 61 2 6232 6533 (T)   + 61 2 6232 6610 (F) 

anfcanberra@anf.org.au

Melbourne Office (Industrial Services)


Level 1, 365 Queen Street  Melbourne  VIC  3000 

Australia

+ 61 3 9602 8500 (T)   + 61 3 9602 8567 (F)

industrial@anf.org.au

anfmelbourne@anf.org.au 

ANF Journals


Australian Nursing Journal 

Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing

anj@anf.org.au   ajan@anf.org.au

ABN 41 816 898 298





media release

23 January 2009




Nursing occupational award decision praised by ANF


A strong campaign by the Australian Nursing Federation to retain nursing as an

occupational award has been vindicated today by the decision of the Australian

Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC). The decision continues the important

principle of nursing being based on skill and educational qualifications rather the

employment setting. 


ANF federal secretary Ged Kearney welcomed the decision and said it represented a

great victory for Australian nurses and women workers generally. “I am extremely

pleased by this decision that confirms nursing is a valued and recognised profession

in its own right. The retention of nursing as a distinct occupational award is a good

result for patients, the community and goes to the heart of issues such as recruitment

and retention,” Ms Kearney said.


The draft Nurses Occupational Award 2010 covers nurses working in all healthcare

settings, with the exception of school nurses. “The ANF is delighted that nurses in

aged care are covered by this award and that our campaign to improve patient care

and nurses’ wages and conditions is bolstered by this decision.”


Despite a strong campaign by employers, particularly in the aged care sector, and

some other unions to prevent the retention of a nursing specific occupational award,

the AIRC recognised the validity of the ANFs arguments in favour of such a decision.

The AIRC decision states in part: The exposure draft of the Nurses Occupational

Industry Award 2010 is, as its name suggests, cast as an occupational award.

Nurses are the single biggest occupational group in health and welfare services and

the material advanced suggests at this stage that an occupational award is

warranted. 

For full details of the decision go to


.pdf


Media inquiries



Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary



0417 053 322


Lee Thomas, Assistant Federal Secretary 

0419 576 590


Andrew McCarthy, Industrial Officer


0437 212 663









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