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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