industry & reform processes are taking too long . We really need to get a coordinated approach so that we don ’ t have inhibitors that disadvantage people or affect our reputation .
If somebody is looking to migrate to another country , Australia may be a country of choice , but it probably isn ’ t going to be the only country unless they have relatives or loved ones , or a reason to come here . If they make their mind up and they want to come here , we should be doing everything to expedite that to support our workforce .
You said the summit missed an opportunity to develop the skills and expertise of existing nurses . When we weren ’ t vaccinated and we didn ’ t understand COVID as well as we do now , nurses were incredibly brave and courageous and kept our nation safe . While we do need more nurses and clinical staff to come into our workforce , we should never forget the sacrifices and the service that the existing workforce have made .
We should be investing in their leadership , their education , their training and development , as well as being able to get them time off and have a real holiday – to actually concentrate on mindfulness , self-care , and regeneration of their energy and spirit to be able to then give as much as they do in every setting .
What I would like to see is a government that ’ s prepared to give back ; some of that will be in pay and equity , and other parts of that respect would be in investment in leadership and professional development .
You said it would be helpful if HECS fees and debts were waived . How could this be implemented ? We actually put this to the federal government before the announcement that the Victorian government made . They are only waiving some of the HECS debt , and giving back some of those HECS fees after two years of service in the public system . I acknowledge that and recognise the effort that the government ’ s making .
What the ACN put forward was that the government should , for a period of time or even as a one-off , wipe any debt that any nurse in the system has now , as a way of saying thank you . There ’ s token one-off payments , but we shouldn ’ t be grateful for that . That ’ s almost insulting for the amount of extra hours , the double shifts .
At least 50 per cent of students would come out of the high school system , but there ’ s a large number that enter nursing as mature-aged students , or as a second career . They ’ ve given up paid employment , probably some of them have families , and some of them are single mums trying to work after hours . HECS debt is only part of the cost of studying for nursing .
HECS would only go part of the way but would take some burdens off . And I think that as long as we made sure that the attraction was for the right people who wanted to do nursing for the right reasons , that financial incentive would go a long way in recognising the value of nursing , but also really as a thank you to invest in nurses .
What ’ s your response to the 3 per cent wage cap and how is it problematic for health care workers ? If you look at what a nurse does , who a nurse is , how educated they are – nurses come with scientific knowledge and qualifications , medical qualifications , behavioural and social science qualifications . I ’ ve never met a nurse that hasn ’ t done post-graduate studies . Many nurses have two , three , four post-graduate certificates , Masters , PhDs .
This is a profession that is a knowledge industry , and invests heavily in ongoing training . You only have to look at immunisation and vaccination . The ACN has educated , on behalf of the government , over 200,000 clinicians in vaccination . The pay is really like a trade and we ’ ve heard over the last few years that nurses could earn more packing shelves in the supermarket .
So , when we ’ re fighting for 3 per cent and not even being considered to get it , I find it insulting as a first world country that the government isn ’ t looking at gender equality and pay disparity . We know that there ’ s a pay disparity in the gender gap , so why wouldn ’ t they at least look at 7 per cent to start to get nursing as a femaledominated profession aligned to where it should be , and for people to be paid their value and their worth , rather than begging for a couple of per cent every few years ?
I ’ d like to see a government that really honours their word in respecting all of their citizens , all members of the community , and that includes female-dominated professions . That ’ s a government that ’ s really going to take us forward as a nation .
Are you satisfied overall with the outcomes of the Jobs Summit ? If not , what improvements do you hope to see ? The Jobs Summit only had one nursing organisation there , the union . While I was
“ Skilled migration is absolutely key … but it ’ s not the only answer .
pleased they were there , the fact that there are 400,000 registered nurses in Australia and the summit didn ’ t include any professional nursing organisation to discuss workforce issues shows their lack of understanding that we are the largest professional group in the country . We are the largest clinical group .
Without a nursing workforce , there is no healthcare system in Australia . When there are not enough nurses that turn up to work , wards close , beds close and services close . So the government not inviting proportionate representation of the nursing workforce concerns me . Having said that , I ’ m pleased with some of the initiatives that they ’ ve come forward with .
Nursing must be considered in terms of skilled migration and the workforce . If you don ’ t have a healthy community , you won ’ t have a healthy economy . And when you look at preventative health , chronic and complex disease , and primary health , nursing is absolutely key in those areas .
I think more effort should have been made for enrolled nurses to be invested in as enrolled nurses . Being an enrolled nurse is an incredibly important and valued profession in and of its own right , and I want to see more investment in post-graduate study and pay for enrolled nurses .
We appreciate the government prioritising the skills shortage but that ’ s nothing new and that ’ s only going to get worse globally and domestically , unless they have discussions with all the representation of the nursing profession . When we look at nurse practitioners , registered nurses being able to work as advanced practise nurses , and the enrolled nursing workforce , there ’ s still a little bit to do .
I ’ m happy enough with the outcomes , but I certainly will be watching to see what comes of the summit and what they actually do now . The government has an opportunity to let us know who they ’ re going to be and whether the promises they ’ ve made are going to be fulfilled .
We ’ re all watching and waiting , and we welcome the opportunity to work with the government to address some of these challenges . ■ nursingreview . com . au | 9