The past year has been a story of collectivism and what we can achieve when we campaign for change together. We have made significant progress in our shared fight, but we know to continue securing important wins for all nurses, midwives, and carers, we must remain united and ambitious.
Our vision for the next 12 months is firmly set in delivering for members. Our Strategic Plan guides our work, including our key focuses. This means continually fighting to raise pay standards in our state, securing remuneration that properly reflects the value of nurses, midwives, and carers. This is core to addressing the recruitment and retention issues across our health and aged care systems.
We’re agitating for members have the flexibility at work to manage their work-life balance. Enforceable job control clauses are at the heart of this effort.
Ratios and care minutes are essential to ensuring patients and aged care residents are receiving high standards of care. We’re already seeing their benefits, and we will continue advocating for their implementation across the state.
FOREWORD
SHAYE CANDISH & MICHAEL WHAITES
GENERAL SECRETARY ASSISTANT
GENERAL SECRETARY
Strength through collective campaigning
We’ve seen tremendous growth in our union, an achievement that speaks to our collective power, empowering an active membership base that can hold employers to account.
We are pleased to report that over the past year, our membership has grown 3.70%. This means more than 81,000 nurses, midwives, and carers now proudly call themselves a member of the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch.
The reforms we’ve implemented at the highest levels of our union ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members have a strong say in the decision-making processes that impact their communities. We’re a proud advocate for universal health care, and we’re dedicated to supporting broader efforts to help close the health gap.
Over the past year members have demonstrated extraordinary strength, solidarity, and determination. Through unprecedented collective action, we have fought for fair pay, safer workplaces, and the respect our professions deserve.
From history-making industrial action and high-visibility community and political campaigns in the public sector, to securing landmark outcomes in private hospitals, and achieving progress in reforming aged care, members have demonstrated why unity and persistence are at the heart of our movement.
Courage and collectivism on display in record numbers
In May 2024, the NSW government put forward a public sector wages offer of just 3% per year, over three years. With nurses and midwives living on 2008-era wages, members were rightly outraged.
Despite good faith bargaining on the part of the NSWNMA, the NSW government obfuscated during months of negotiations, refusing to move on our member-endorsed ask of a one-year, 15% pay rise.
Between August 2024 and February 2025, thousands of members held rallies across the state, with protests outside the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC), stop work meetings, waves of intensifying strike action, and own-time picketing.
Despite a commitment from your union to continue good faith negotiations, the NSW government decided to force Award talks into arbitration before the IRC. In response, the NSWNMA commenced a Special Case arguing work value, productivity and inflation, recruitment and retention and, importantly, the gendered undervaluation of nurses and midwives. This is a massive undertaking which has seen experts and members provide evidence.
We also saw a powerful display of community activism with a member-led petition attracting 20,000 signatures in just four days. By the time it was tabled in parliament, the e-petition had received almost 40,000 signatures of support, becoming the fastestgrowing e-petition in NSW Parliament history.
We anticipate the IRC will decide on the public sector Award in 2026. We continue to argue the case that members should not have to wait until then because the government can still make a genuine offer at any time.
Promising signs in safe staffing rollout
The NSWNMA has been an active voice in the Safe Staffing Levels Taskforce since its formation in April 2023. Despite early challenges, we are pleased to see recruitment momentum picking up over the past 12 months.
Since May 2024, more than 650 union-won extra full time equivalent nursing staff have been allocated to Local Health Districts across the state, with more than 475 full-time equivalent new nurses recruited to Level 5 and 6 emergency departments (ED).
Nurses picket again for better pay
By By Antony Dubber
Southern Highlands Express Wednesday 5th March 2025
370 words Page 5 | Section: General 209cm on the page
Parallel to this work, members have ramped up our community and political campaign efforts. At the time of print, more than 22,480 digital actions have been taken, including emails to the NSW Treasurer and local MPs, phone calls to local politicians, and members sharing their stories from the frontline of our healthcare system.
This staffing boost is already delivering better outcomes at nine major EDs.
Standing up for seriously injured workers
In mid-May, the NSW government introduced proposed reforms to the state’s workers compensation scheme that would significantly restrict access to financial support for workers suffering psychological injuries sustained in the workplace.
As the largest union in the state, the NSWNMA has an obligation to be a leading voice in this fight. Consequently, we’ve taken a vocal and public position in campaigning against the government’s poorly structured reforms. Through our strong advocacy we won significant changes, however more work must be done.
Our fight to protect seriously injured workers has, at the time of print, successfully delayed the government’s rushed efforts. Though the Treasurer’s bill was passed in the lower house (with amendments), it attracted even greater scrutiny in the upper house – having been referred to an inquiry before the Public Accountability and Works Committee. This provides unions with a window to lobby for additional changes to better protect workers.
Members employed by Ramsay Health Care secured a landmark new Enterprise Agreement in April. It followed more than 250 days of sustained protected industrial action, including more than 60 strikes, 21 bargaining meetings, and three successful no-votes. A
Healthscope’s financial woes
In late May, members working at Healthscope were notified that the hospital operator would be going into receivership. At time of print, the company, which is Australia’s second largest private health care provider, reportedly owes more than $1 billion to creditors.
This has been an understandably difficult time for members. The ANMF NSW Branch moved swiftly to support impacted nurses and midwives. Our team hosted a series of webinars to provide immediate updates on members’ rights and responsibilities in the wake of this news. We continue to advocate for members throughout the administration process.
The future of Northern Beaches Hospital
The ANMF NSW Branch has long opposed the public-private partnership model deployed at Northern Beaches Hospital. In April, a NSW Auditor-General’s report1 found the hospital had not been effectively delivering quality health services to the local community, with internal hospital systems in need of improvement.
The NSW government now has a prime opportunity to do the right thing and see a full transition of Northern Beaches Hospital into public hands. The ANMF NSW Branch remains staunchly opposed to the publicprivate partnership model. At the time of print, negotiations regarding Healthscope’s broader hospital network remain ongoing.
Pay recognition and accountability advocacy in aged care
Over the past year, a significant milestone was reached with the final stage of the unioninitiated Aged Care Work Value Case. The success of this effort has resulted in greater financial recognition for nurses and carers employed in the aged care sector.
Importantly, the advocacy of unions, including the ANMF NSW Branch, has ensured these increases were also passed on to nurses and carers working under Enterprise Bargaining Agreements. In recognition of the longstanding undervaluing of nurses and carers in the heavily feminised aged care sector, the federal government moved to fund these pay increases in their entirety.
This advocacy work has lifted wages across the entire aged care industry and helped to reduce the gender pay gap in aged care. Though the government has made its expectations clear to employers, we know some aged care providers aren’t doing the right thing and providing these pay increases in full.
The ANMF NSW Branch is supporting members by educating aged care workers of their rights. Workplace visits have taken place in recent months to continue building strength and empowering members to hold their employers to account. The ANMF NSW Branch is also proactively writing to employers to ensure their compliance with the Work Value guidance.
A growing force in primary care
In the past year, the ANMF NSW Branch has made it a priority to uplift the voices of nurses working in primary care. Last November, we held our first-ever Primary Care Symposium, attracting members from across the state. This was a fantastic networking opportunity and attendees showed a real appetite to mobilise and fight for improvements in their sector.
Building on this momentum, in February we marked Primary Care Nurses Day by embarking on workplace visits to directly engage members. The ANMF continues advocating for members through the Federal Nurses Award Work Value Case, and member testimony is being collated for hearings to take place in late 2025, or 2026. We hope to see the same of type of industry uplift from this case as has been seen in the Aged Care Work Value Case.
First
of its
kind payments to address ‘placement poverty’
As a result of union campaigning, from 1 July, 2025, nursing and midwifery students across the country can apply for the Commonwealth Prac Payment, providing essential assistance to students while undertaking their mandatory clinical training.
The ANMF has been a proud advocate for measures to help end placement poverty, and this reform is a positive first step. However, more must be done to ensure future nurses and midwives can comfortably complete their qualifications, rather than walk away from the profession because of financial stress.
A shared commitment to reconciliation
In 2025, the NSWNMA established an internal working group to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This strategic document helps guide our efforts to support reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
As a trade union, it is important that we continue to advocate for change and remain committed to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Within the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Member Circle provides a dedicated platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members to address their unique needs and concerns within the nursing and midwifery profession. We are proud to see a 45% increase in Circle membership this financial year.
Standing up for affordable housing
Over the past year, the NSWNMA has maintained a strong focus on housing affordability. We’re advocating for members by working with organisations to deliver affordable housing projects at Crows Nest and Camperdown in Sydney, and on the state’s Central Coast. We are also exploring housing options that offer a shared equity model – lowering the financial barrier to accessing housing.
The NSWNMA has also contributed to the NSW Select Committee on Essential Worker Housing through formal submissions, member participation in hearings, and media engagement to highlight the state’s ongoing housing challenges. Though recent reform to tenancy laws has improved protections for those in rental accommodation, the NSWNMA continues to push for deeper solutions to the housing crisis.
Pioneering research to inform job control policy
In partnership with the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, the NSWNMA has launched a world-first research project to understand the experiences, attitudes, and aspirations of nurses, midwives, and carers.
This research focuses on flexibility and rostering for shift workers. It will provide actionable insights that can be used to engage with employers on the types of flexibility that nurses, midwives, and carers need.
Throughout June, members were invited to take
A future committed to winning for members
In 2025-2026, we will continue fighting to grow the number of nurses, midwives, and carers in New South Wales. This is achieved through ambitious campaigning to win better pay and conditions for all members.
We know the benefits greater job control will bring, that is why we are fighting for enforceable clauses that assist members with striking the right work-life balance.
As a union, one of our key priorities is empowering members to enforce accountability measures in the workplace. This includes compliance with policies concerning ratios/care minutes. Our vision is for a universal implementation of safer staffing that delivers a sustainable health care system and uplifts standards in aged care.
Democracy is at the heart of the NSWNMA/ ANMF NSW Branch, strengthening the voices of members to affect change within our union and the workplace. We must take a moment to reflect on the remarkable gains we’ve made, but there is plenty more work to do in 2026. Our work will continue, and we thank you for standing with more than 81,000 fellow nurses, midwives, and carers as we fight for a stronger future.
Historic Council appointments
In April, the NSWNMA Council and ANMF NSW Branch Council welcomed two newly elected members into our inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Council positions.
These positions were established following a motion at our 2023 Annual Conference, marking a meaningful evolution in the composition of our Council.
Elected into these positions:
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
O’BRAY SMITH
Farewell
and thank you to long-serving
Councillors
We extend a heartfelt thank you and best wishes to three retiring councillors:
Lorna Scott, Vice President
• 17.5 years as Vice President
• More than 19 years as Executive Councillor
Rebekah Henderson, Wiradjuri woman, Midwife, currently working in community health after relocating from Broken Hill. Rebekah brings a vital perspective to Council, representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues, rural midwifery, and community health.
Mathew Grant, Wiradjuri man, Registered Nurse, and manager at Bloomfield.
Mathew also represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members, mental health nurses, managers, and rural healthcare professionals.
I look forward to working closely with Rebekah and Mathew. Council is well positioned to continue advancing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and we remain committed to playing our part in a shared effort to help close the health gap.
• Councillor for more than 22 years
Lyn Hopper, Vice President
• Nine years as Vice President
• 15 years as Executive Councillor
• 24 years as Councillor
Richard Noort, Councillor
• More than 15 years as Councillor
Lorna, Lyn, and Richard’s legacy of integrity, advocacy, and professionalism has left an indelible mark, and we thank them for their many years of service to our union.
Greater representation, strengthening advocacy
Following a motion from the Lismore Hospital Branch at our Annual Conference in 2023, future casual Council vacancies will now be filled through an Expression of Interest process. This change prompted the development of a skills gap analysis to help identify collective strengths and gaps across Council, and drive a focus on diversity and capability development.
Alongside this work, a demographic analysis of our full membership revealed room for stronger representation from the Private and Aged Care sectors. These insights guided Council in appointing the following new Councillors:
Sheridan Brady, Registered Nurse, President and Northern Beaches Hospital (Healthscope) Branch Delegate. Sheridan has experience and qualifications in Mental Health Nursing as well as Intensive Care services. Her private sector activism and expertise are invaluable qualities.
Lanelle Bailey, Assistant in Nursing/Personal Care Worker, Alternate Delegate and Steward at Mercy Place Albury. Lanelle played a key role in securing significant back pay for colleagues, and she brings with her strong governance and award knowledge. Lanelle’s experience is already strengthening the aged care voice on Council.
A focus on education and leadership
In April, Council took part in an additional training day where we focussed on key areas, including:
• Risk management
• Financial oversight
• Strategic planning
To further strengthen Council’s leadership and governance capabilities, all newly appointed Councillors have completed ACTU Governance Training and, at the time of print, are currently undertaking Board of Director training through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
On the ground member engagement
At our 2024 Annual Conference, delegates passed a motion to make the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch President’s role a paid, full-time position. This evolution has significantly expanded opportunities for deeper, in-person member engagement across the state.
In the past year, site visits across the state include: Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Tomaree, Wyong, South East Regional Hospital, Sutherland, Hunter Valley Private, Bankstown, North Shore, Nepean Blue Mountains, Bathurst, Ballina, Clarence Valley, Calvary Riverina, Westmead, Cumberland, Northern Beaches, Prince of Wales Private, Sydney Southwest Private, St George Private, and Lismore.
At the time of print, the priority for upcoming visits includes Multi-Purpose Services, aged care, Far West, and Community Health Centres.
Colette Duff, Registered Nurse, Branch President and Delegate, Sutherland Hospital. With previous experience at the Clinical Excellence Commission, Colette contributes deep knowledge in governance and education. She has also held positions as a Nursing Unit Manager and Clinical Nurse Educator in intensive care units and now works within the emergency department.
Executive financial management
Over the past year, the Executive has refined its scope and area of responsibility when compared to the broader Council. It now focuses on:
• Establishing risk appetite statements to guide strategic decision-making and strengthen risk mitigation efforts
• Reviewing the union’s financial goals to ensure sustainability and alignment with strategic priorities
• Commissioning a competitive tender process for the management of the Association’s investment portfolio, aimed at improving performance and transparency
• Exploring diversified income streams to reduce dependence on member fees and support financial resilience
At the time of print, member fees constitute roughly 95% of the union’s revenue, supporting vital services such as professional indemnity and journey accident insurance, staffing, resource delivery, and general operational expenses. In assessing membership fees, we strive to strike a careful balance between keeping fees affordable for members and maintaining a high standard of service.
The Executive recognise the financial challenges many of our members face. As a result, we are actively exploring alternative revenue streams that could help increase income while also reducing overall reliance on membership fees.
In recent years, unbudgeted surpluses have arisen from stronger-than-expected investment returns. While these gains are appreciated, they are inherently volatile and cannot be counted on for consistent service delivery. The Council has decided to allocate surplus funds from these investment returns to support key initiatives, including our campaigning for better pay and conditions.
In addition, the union is investing in several key projects that aim to enhance member services. These include:
• Strengthening data governance and security to further safeguard member information. Council acknowledges the need to bolster cybersecurity and modernise systems for the longer term
• A comprehensive review of organising resources, resulting from motions presented at our 2024 Annual Conference
• Refreshing the Member Central portal to make it easier for members to find what they need and streamline the overall member experience.
These initiatives will be funded from surplus reserves. They are not expected to require significant ongoing investment. Our budgeting strategy continues to align with our strategic priorities, which are primarily driven by motions presented to Annual Conference.
Voting and Hybrid Meeting Subcommittee
The Voting and Hybrid Meeting Subcommittee was established in November 2024. It was formed off the back of motions to Annual Conference, and now consists of Council members, motion movers/seconders, and delegates. At time of print the committee has met seven times, commissioning an independent review titled Democracy and Voting in the Public Health Sector Branches of the NSWNMA.
Key outcomes of this work include:
• Improved systems and processes for Secretaries
• Planned improvements for user experience in Member Central portal
• Increasing members in branches
Council is dedicated to exploring innovative ways of working and improving the member experience. Our focus is on growing union power and doing all we can to strengthen the governance of this mighty organisation.
Together we are investing in change that will future proof our union. It is our job to safeguard the financial security of the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch for future generations.
Association Council – meeting attendance
MEETINGS HELD FROM JULY 2024 TO JUNE 2025 = 23*
Shaye Candish
NSWNMA General Secretary & ANMF NSW Branch Secretary
NSWNMA Executive Members & ANMF NSW Branch Executive Members
^ Term of office ended 15 January 2025
+ Elected to VP at Council meetings held on 11 February 2025
* 11 Council Meetings and 12 Extraordinary Council Meetings
Liz McCall Attendance: 15 meetings
Kerry Rodgers Attendance: 16 meetings
NSWNMA Councillors & ANMF NSW Branch Councillors
∞ Elected to Council: Term of office commenced from 13 February 2025 until 29 November 2026
# Term of office commenced from 27 March 2025 until 29 November 2026
Sheridan Brady∞ Attendance: 5 meetings
Mathew Grant# Attendance: 2 meetings
Michelle Nicholson Attendance: 21 meetings
Robyne Brown Attendance: 21 meetings
Rebekah Henderson# Attendance: 3 meetings
Richard Noort^ Attendance: 8 meetings
Colette Duff∞ Attendance: 6 meetings
Jocelyn Hofman Attendance: 17 meetings
Meg Pendrick Attendance: 14 meetings
Lorna Scott^
NSWNMA Vice President & ANMF NSW Branch Vice President
Attendance: 13 meetings
Michelle Cashman Attendance: 18 meetings
Jill Telfer Attendance: 20 meetings
Lanelle Bailey∞ Attendance: 5 meetings
Emma Gedge Attendance: 19 meetings
Lyn Hopper^ Attendance: 11 meetings
Skye Romer Attendance: 21 meetings
Paul Haines+
NSWNMA Vice President & ANMF NSW Branch Vice President
Attendance: 20 meetings
Edward Makepeace Attendance: 23 meetings
Sue White Attendance: 19 meetings
Wing Besilos Attendance: 17 meetings
Kate Goodman Attendance: 12 meetings
Diane Lang Attendance: 21 meetings
Kristy Wilson Attendance: 23 meetings
81,993*
Total members UP 3.70% year-on-year
296* Branches / Circle UP 12.54% year-on-year
1,584* Branch / Circle Officials UP 7.97% year-on-year
568* Branch / Circle Delegates** DOWN 0.69% year-on-year
61,786*
Total number of financial members on Branches / Circle UP 5.64% year-on-year
*Figures accurate at 30 June 2025. **Not including Alt Delegates
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER REPORT
JOYCE LOW
I am excited to report back on some of the key work underway to support staff and improve our operational services for members.
Appointing our first Chief Technology Officer
A key focus of the union is leveraging technology to reduce manual processes. To continue our work in this field, the NSWNMA has appointed its first Chief Technology Officer.
Chris Mace joined the NSWNMA in May, bringing with him more than two decades of experience in technology and cyber security, spanning the private, public, and not-forprofit sectors. In 2022 and 2023, CSO ASEAN recognised Chris as one of Australia’s top 30 chief information security officers. He also serves on the Academic Board of the Central Institute of Technology & Innovation.
Renewed Employee Engagement and holistic focus on education
The human resources landscape has evolved greatly in recent years. At the NSWNMA, we recognise that our people are our greatest asset. This includes both our hardworking staff, and the more than 81,000 nurses, midwives, and carers who stand side-by-side as our members.
Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen the realignment of a dedicated learning and development team as part of our rebranded Employment Engagement team. In January, we welcomed a Trade Union and All Staff Learning & Development Manager.
We’re committed to taking a holistic approach to staff learning and member-facing education. That is why we have brought these two important duties under the same banner.
To better support our service delivery, the Employee Engagement team is also undergoing a shift to a transformative partnering model. This will see the team working alongside our Senior Leadership Team and our people managers. What this means is greater support for our staff, and a smoother experience for members.
A refreshed Member Central
We look forward to rolling out further updates that will make our member portal even easier to access, and simpler to navigate. Increased functionality will also ensure Member Central remains the one-stop-shop for members looking for information and support from their union.
We’re committed to always improving the member experience, and members are invited to provide any further feedback by emailing: gensec@nswnma.asn.au
The work ahead
In the coming months our teams will also be conducting a thorough review of our Customer Relation Management system. Central to this will be assessing how we service member enquiries, the ways we can make knowledge and resources more readily available, and any areas where we can streamline internal processes.
I thank the nurses, midwives, and carers across NSW who proudly call themselves members of the NSWNMA. We look forward to further strengthening our service offering over the next 12 months.
MEMBERSHIP & FINANCE
MEMBERSHIP#
54,828 Public Health System
+2.72% Justice Health: 886 AHO: 2,111
8,567 Private Hospitals
+0.42%
81,993
Total financial members UP 3.7% (2,926 members)
12,643 Aged Care
+12.58%
Residential Aged Care: 12,007
FINANCIAL REPORT
The NSWNMA remains in a sound financial position. The overall 2024 result for the year was a surplus of $3.02 million. Net Assets as at 31 December 2024 were $58.60 million. Total membership income in 2024 was $55.95 million, an increase of $3.42 million (+6.5%).
The 2024 financial surplus was due to several factors including a higher-than-expected increase in membership and a favourable financial market, generating a healthy return for the NSWNMA’s investment portfolio.
Expenditure in 2024 compared to 2023 was higher in areas such as:
• Campaigns & communications and
• Employee costs,
5,090 Primary Health and others +7.70%
Non-residential: 636
# Variance is for the period 30 June 2024 – 30 June 2025. Undesignated membership: 865.
but partially offset by:
• lower IT expenses and
• lower membership insurance costs.
The audited accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 are summarised at the end of this Annual Report, and the full financial statements are available to members online in Member Central.
The unaudited accounts for the six months to 30 June 2025 show a surplus of $1.31 million, continuing the trend from 2024 of higher membership growth and investment income. Net Assets as at 30 June 2025 were $59.9 million.
A FIGHT ON TWO FRONTS FOR A FAIR PAY OFFER
Over the past 12 months, public sector nurses and midwives have stood steadfast in their demands for essential improvements to their pay and conditions.
No backing down
MAJOR CAMPAIGNS
The fight so far
Rising stress and exhaustion, coupled with a decade of wage suppression and soaring cost of living pressures have left nursing and midwifery ranks at a crossroads. To emphasise what is at risk, the NSWNMA and its members have taken the fight to the NSW government and the Ministry of Health on two key fronts:
Community and political campaigning – leaning on public support to help influence the government
Progressing a landmark Special Case in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC)
Keeping members informed
Between August 2024 and March 2025, the NSWNMA ran 16 webinars to keep public health sector members informed and up to date.
More than 5,600 registrations in total
14 AUGUST 2024
A vocal show of force at the Industrial Relations Commission
During a scheduled hearing before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC), members made a powerful statement by rallying outside the IRC.
The event was timed to coincide with the NSWNMA’s hearing; intensifying pressure on the government and drawing greater attention to our campaign.
Despite being called on short notice, 27 members showed up, with some attendees travelling from Newcastle and Muswellbrook. Their efforts were not in vain. Those in the courtroom could hear members chanting as proceedings got underway.
Statewide stop work meetings and rallies
In late August, public sector members escalated their industrial campaign by participating in one-hour stop work meetings and rallies across the state.
More than 5,000 members from 110 branches and 90 healthcare facilities took part, with the majority attending during their rostered shifts.
Notably, more than 2,560 members were engaging in industrial action for the first time during this campaign, and attendance more than doubled compared to own-time rallies held in the previous month. This demonstrated our collective strength and growing appetite for better pay and conditions.
Notable stop work meetings:
• John Hunter Hospital: approximately 350 attendees
• Wollongong Hospital: approximately 300 attendees
• Coffs Harbour Hospital: approximately 200 attendees
• Tweed Valley Hospital: approximately 200 attendees
More than 8,000 members take part in strike action
Demonstrating their ongoing commitment to this fight, thousands of members took part in a 12.5-hour statewide strike on 10 September. Major strike activities were coordinated at seven key locations, including Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Gosford, Kogarah, Newcastle, and Parramatta.
Our Kogarah rally was held outside the office of NSW Premier Chris Minns, while members in Wollongong rallied outside the Corrimal office of Health Minister Ryan Park.
Additional member-led community actions also took place around the state, reinforcing our message that nurses and midwives will not accept a substandard pay offer from this government.
“If we were men, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. This is a gender pay gap that needs to be addressed.”
Colette Duff, NSWNMA Councillor, 10 September 2024
SCAN TO WATCH
Government’s ongoing disrespect is met with intensified 24-hour strike
Just two weeks after members hit the streets to protest the government’s pay offer, nurses and midwives ramped up the fight, this time striking for 24 hours. Almost 9,500 members took part on 24 September, marking the most significant collective action by nurses and midwives in almost five decades.
“A three per cent measly (pay) offer is just not cutting it.”
Justin, NSWNMA Westmead Hospital Branch, 24 September 2024
24 SEPTEMBER 2024
Unwavering nurses and midwives step up the fight
Building on the momentum of September’s industrial action, members maintained the fight for fair pay and safe staffing by once again hitting the pavement as part of a renewed 24-hour strike.
“A Labor government should be looking after its workers. This is not a Labor government!”
O’Bray Smith, NSWNMA President, 13 November 2024
At the centre of this strike was a rally on Macquarie Street, where some 2,500 members from across the state travelled to the heart of Sydney’s CBD to stand in solidarity with one another. In all, 66 charter buses were packed with nurses and midwives eager to have their voices heard.
The rally’s impact was felt beyond the steps of state parliament, with members’ chants being heard inside the chambers during a sitting session. Member-led events were also held in Tweed, Albury, and Armidale, with the day’s events generating more than 3,000 mentions across television news, radio, and print media (September 23-25).
“It’s time to cough up mate, before we all leave.”
Sheree, NSWNMA Gilgandra District Hospital Branch, 24 September 2024
13 NOVEMBER 2024
On 13 November, members returned to Macquarie Street while simultaneous gatherings occurred in regional centres across the state, including Tweed, Moruya, Lismore, Taree, Crookwell, Armidale, Broken Hill, Parkes, Coffs Harbour, and Port Macquarie.
Of the 15,000 members who responded to the NSWNMA’s strike SMS, 4,600 indicated their support but would remain at work to ensure essential life-preserving care was maintained, demonstrating their professional commitment to both advocacy and patient safety.
NSW Police estimates suggest approximately 12,000 people attended our events across the state, making it one of the largest healthcare strikes in recent history.
“Nursing is hard enough, why should I not get paid fairly?”
Grace, NSWNMA Royal North Shore Hospital Branch, 13 November 2024
SCAN TO WATCH
SCAN TO WATCH
Media attention remained strong, with more than 9,000 mentions of our strike and pay campaign across television news, radio, and print, between 8–15 November.
“The key issue for this government is that they’d rather protect their wages policy than fix the staffing crisis in New South Wales Health.”
Michael Whaites, NSWNMA
Assistant
General Secretary, 13 November 2024
“It’s a moral injury almost every day you go to work. We know what we should do for patients, in our heart, and we don’t have enough time. So, we pick and choose what we can manage, and that often means holding the hand of the dying person goes out the door, and you just move on to the next thing.”
Dustin, NSWNMA Air Ambulance Branch
Minns under pressure inside, nurses and midwives vocal outside
“The NSW gender pay gap is the highest it has been in more than a decade, sitting at 7.2%. Nurses and midwives make up the largest proportion of female workers in the state’s public sector, so if the government was serious about driving the gender pay gap down, it would deliver a proper pay rise. Instead, it’s showing it doesn’t value us”
Shaye Candish, General Secretary, 26 February 2025
26 FEBRUARY 2025
On 26 February, as Premier Chris Minns faced tough questioning inside NSW Budget Estimates, NSWNMA members and staff picketed state parliament.
Despite a short lead-in time, 77 members took to Macquarie Street with placards in hand, calling on the government to deliver a fair pay rise for nurses and midwives. A small group of members also maintained a watchful eye over the Premier during the Estimates session.
Under scrutiny over his government’s approach to addressing the gender pay gap, Chris Minns conceded that nurses and midwives continue to feel financial pain.
“I don’t quibble with the (NSWNMA’s) argument that, as a result of 12 years of the wages cap, (nurses and midwives have) gone backwards. I
SCAN TO WATCH
COMMUNITY AND POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING
22,480+ digital actions
40K e-petitions
Heaping pressure on MPs
Over the course of this campaign, we’ve seen a significant effort made to mobilise community support behind public sector nurses and midwives. At the heart of this has been efforts to email and call local MPs – particularly those who are considered influential in state government policy.
At the time of print, more than 22,480 digital actions have been taken by NSWNMA members and their supporters in the community.
Key actions taken:
Emails to the NSW Treasurer: 9,186
Emails to local MPs: 10,075
Calls to local MPs: 500
Community involvement expressions of interest: 1,131
Members sharing their stories: 63
‘Better Pay to Stay’ petition signatures: 1,525
100 members attended 30 ‘Pollie Watch’ sessions
30+ meetings with State MPs
Community inks its support with landmark petition to parliament
In another powerful display of grassroots advocacy, a member-led petition calling for a fair pay rise attracted almost 40,000 signatures from the community, becoming the fastestgrowing e-petition in NSW Parliament history.
The petition was officially debated in state parliament on 20 March, with thanks to the NSW Greens who played a key role in facilitating the discussion.
Pollie Watch
To help maintain a watchful presence over the parliament, members have maintained a regular presence in the gallery on Macquarie Street.
Since October 2024, members have taken part in more than 30 ‘Pollie Watch’ sessions with approximately 100 attendees across the period (at time of print).
A key moment in this campaign took place on 8 May when members presented Health Minister Ryan Park with thousands of physical community pledges, reminding the government that the voting public stands with nurses and midwives.
Advocacy in action
Since August 2024, the NSWNMA and its members have held more than 30 meetings with state MPs
By combining legal advocacy, the mobilisation of public support, and sustained political pressure, our members have shown that they will not walk away from this fight.
Targeted localised campaigns
To further grassroots lobbying, member-led efforts were launched in key electorates, targeting Labor MPs who had politically distanced themselves from our pay campaign following the 2023 state election.
Dozens of campaign actions have been held to date, including community flyer handouts, letterboxing, the deployment of mobile billboards, and ultimately, face-to-face meetings with the relevant MPs.
Members continue to encourage Labor politicians to publicly back our fight for a fair pay increase, and this has resulted in many of them supporting our campaign.
A fresh approach to engaging politicians
10+ listening sessions
110+ taking part
To foster greater dialogue with elected officials from across the political spectrum, branch leaders have invited local MPs to participate in community ‘listening sessions.’
These sessions provide a space for members to share their firsthand experiences and insights from the health system, offering politicians a direct window into the realities facing our professions.
At time of print, state MPs have been invited to more than 10 listening sessions, with more than 110 members taking part throughout April and May 2025.
OUR LANDMARK SPECIAL CASE
The NSWNMA came to the negotiating table with the intent of holding good faith talks with the NSW government.
Arguments backed by sound financial evidence
In 2024, we produced strong economic arguments for our public sector pay claim, including a Rapid Business Case that identified the means for funding our pay claim.
We also commissioned a report by Professor John Buchanan, Escaping NSW Treasury’s Curse – it showed that NSW Treasury’s wage cap policy had suppressed wages for more than a decade, leaving members on wages akin to 2008 levels.
Despite all this, the NSW government opted to force us into arbitration before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).
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Please note: Dates are subject to change and are correct at time of print.
NSWNMA and Ministry of Health file Joint Statement of Issues in the NSW IRC. This sets out what both parties can, and cannot, agree on.
30th
NSWNMA evidence in reply due. 19th
Directions Hearing before the IRC President to assess compliance with the timetable and readiness for hearing.
Further Case Management Hearing.
Directions Hearing at the NSW IRC.
MONTH LONG
NSWNMA continuing to gather evidence, including from members based on specialty.
23rd
NSWNMA to compile further evidence in response to the evidence filed by the Ministry of Health.
22nd
Ministry of Health files its evidence by this date.
Further joint statement of issues to be filed (refining what will be the subject of the upcoming hearing).
While members have been out fighting to ratchet up support for our campaign, the NSWNMA has been working on a parallel legal effort to make our argument via a Special Case to the IRC.
Countering an insulting and out of touch pay offer
At the time of print, the NSW government’s application to the IRC remains well below what nurses and midwives deserve. Labor is pursuing a 3% pay offer over three years, with no further improvement to wages and conditions. It’s a disgrace.
In late January, members voted to endorse the substance of our Special Case, or in other terms, our counter argument to the government’s offer.
Members have backed a Special Case that includes asks of:
A 35% pay increase over three years, plus superannuation, for all public sector nurses and midwives
A 30% penalty rate for night duty, bringing our state in line with other jurisdictions
NSWNMA’s evidence to be filed. 29th
JULY
Six-week hearing before a Full Bench of the NSW IRC. This is anticipated to run through 7 November.
Await outcome of IRC’s decision following November hearing.
To support our asks, the NSWNMA has filed substantial evidence, including almost 50 witness statements. At the time of print, NSW Health had been given a late July deadline to file its evidence, with the NSWNMA provided an additional opportunity thereafter to supply evidence in reply.
Special Case key dates
A six-week hearing before a Full Bench of the IRC is expected to begin in late September and run through until early November. A decision is then expected in early 2026.
Be it through community activism, or the legal and industrial systems, the NSWNMA and nurses and midwives remain committed to securing real change for the public health system and our professions.
An increase to sick leave entitlements to include 20 days per annum
A meal allowance to be paid for those working in patient transport when there is a requirement to take a break away from home base
ENCOURAGING PROGRESS MADE IN RATIOS IMPLEMENTATION
After a decade of sustained member campaigning, in March 2023, the newlyelected Labor government began work to implement its Safe Staffing Levels (SSL) policy, meeting our Ratios Claim in five areas:
• Emergency Departments
• Intensive Care Units
• Maternity (a review of Birthrate Plus® and 1:3 in postnatal wards)
• Multi-purpose Services (MPSs), and
• the conversion of current Nursing Hour Per Patient Day wards and units to a shift-byshift system.
Just one month after the election, the state government announced its SSL Taskforce, consisting of NSWNMA and Ministry of Health representatives, with input from the NSW Minister for Health’s office. The NSWNMA has played a key role in the shared efforts to deliver this important and long-overdue reform.
A solid foundation, with more to do
Given the increasing demands placed on our state’s largest and busiest emergency departments, including worsening wait times and increased aggression, the SSL Taskforce identified Level 5 and 6 EDs as the priority for implementing safe staffing levels.
Since May 2024, more than 650 extra full-time equivalent nursing staff have been allocated to Local Health Districts across the state, with more than 475 full-time equivalent new nurses recruited to care for critically unwell patients receiving care in Level 5 and 6 EDs.
To date, staffing enhancements have been delivered at nine major EDs, including:
• Liverpool
• Royal North Shore
• Royal Prince Alfred
• John Hunter
• Tamworth
• Gosford
• Nepean
• Campbelltown
• The Children’s Hospital Westmead
However, recruitment challenges continue to be seen at Port Macquarie, Lismore, Coffs Harbour Health Campus, Bankstown/Lidcombe, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, St George, Orange, Westmead, Blacktown, Hornsby KuRing-Gai, Sutherland, Concord, Prince of Wales, The Tweed Valley and Dubbo hospitals.
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick and the Calvary Mater Newcastle are yet to commence their implementation plan (at time of print).
Elsewhere, recruitment efforts have begun at ten Level 3 and Level 4 EDs, including:
• Canterbury
• Maitland
• Manning
• Griffith
• Blue Mountains
• Wyong
• Shoalhaven
• Young
• Macksville District
• South-East Regional District Anzac Memorial
Throughout the second half of 2025, the NSWNMA will work alongside other members of the SSL Taskforce to assess a further 37 Level 3 and Level 4 EDs. Calculations will be made to determine the FTE required to deliver safe staffing enhancements in these health facilities.
This reform is the result of more than two decades of hard-fought campaigning to secure safer conditions in the workplace. We are now seeing this important work come to life. It is our ambition to see all units afforded this type of systemic reform, and the NSWNMA will keep up this fight.
The NSW government has more work to do to address the root challenges that are inhibiting the full and timely rollout of ratios. We know that a genuine pay rise is essential to attract and retain nurses and midwives in the longer term.
“It is obvious to everyone that we finally got ratios thanks to the union.”
Mila Calderon, Branch Delegate, RN, Liverpool Hospital Branch
REJECTING FLAWED CHANGES TO WORKERS COMPENSATION
In mid-2025, the NSW government began pursuing reforms to workers compensation insurance that would heavily restrict access to financial assistance in the event a worker is psychologically injured at work.
The government’s proposal:
Requires workers to prove work-related bullying in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission or Fair Work Commission before being able to make a claim.
Excludes work pressure as a cause for psychological injury
Cuts off payments after 2.5 years if a worker’s impairment is less than 30% (psychiatrists and lawyers agree most people with severe psychological injuries don’t reach 30%)
The NSWNMA, like other unions, acknowledges that the workers compensation system is in need of reform. However, making it almost impossible for workers to access compensation in the event of a psychological injury at work is
by taking part in a Unions NSW survey. This helped inform our campaign tactics, and it showed that workers widely rejected these efforts to undermine their rights.
In late May, workers across the state gathered for a series of protest rallies. Members turned out in Parramatta, Tweed Heads, Wollongong, Liverpool, Penrith, Gosford, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle. Hundreds of workers also rallied outside the Treasurer’s Sydney CBD office.
To send a strong message, thousands of workers took part in our campaign to write to local MPs and Members of the Legislative Council.
Successful lobbying, but the fight goes on
The Treasurer’s draft bill was tabled in the NSW lower house on 3 June. Our lobbying saw key amendments made to the bill, with the support of cross bench politicians including Independent Alex Greenwich, and the NSW Greens. Labor was left with no option but to agree to many of the proposed changes. However, the government remained firm on its 30% whole person impairment proposal. The bill was subsequently passed in the lower house with most of our amendments considered.
With nurses, midwives, and carers at the greatest risk of psychological injury in the workplace, the NSWNMA and members began fighting back against Treasurer Daniel Mookhey’s flawed reform agenda. It has been our duty to stand against these measures as the government’s policy disproportionately impacts heavily feminised workforces. Members shared their thoughts on the Treasurer’s proposal
The government’s bill was met with additional scrutiny once considered by the upper house, where Labor is reliant on support from other parties. The Legislative Council, with support from an unlikely alliance of Liberal/National, Greens and other independent MLCs, voted to move the bill to an inquiry by the Public Accountability and Works Committee.
Though Treasurer had hoped to ram through his changes by the new financial year, successful lobbying by members, unions, and the community has seen the state government’s agenda face greater scrutiny. This latest development has ultimately provided more time for unions to negotiate and lobby for additional changes.
At the time of print, the inquiry process continues, and the NSWNMA will continue to work closely with Unions NSW in our shared fight to protect the conditions of workers.
WORK VALUE CASE DELIVERS IMPORTANT PAY RECOGNITION
FOR AGED CARE MEMBERS
In 2025, aged care members are continuing to benefit from systemic reforms to their wages thanks to the Aged Care Work Value Case.
Increases to pay and greater recognition for Assistants in Nursing (AiN)/Carers, Enrolled Nurses, and Registered Nurses were seen as a result of the third and final stage of this Case.
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) issued its decision for AiN/Carers, delivering wage increases across two equal increments, 4% from 1 January 2025, and an additional 4% from 1 October 2025.
For RNs and ENs, this ‘stage 3’ increase builds on the 15% pay increase seen in July 2023. The FWC ruling sees additional pay increases delivered in March 2025, October 2025, and August 2026. In practical terms, an RN Level 1, Year 5, has received an increase of $3.11 per hour from the first full pay period after 1 March.
In recognition of the historical undervaluing of this work, and in an effort to help address the gender pay gap, the federal government moved to fully fund these wage increases.
An ongoing fight to ensure employers are doing the right thing
Unions have fought hard to ensure those on Enterprise Agreements are also subject to these wage increases, even where pay rates are already above the Award. This is an unprecedented commitment from the government.
Despite clear guidance to employers, we know not all aged care providers are doing the right thing in passing on these increases in full. For RNs and ENs on Enterprise Agreements, we know implementation has been complex and difficult to navigate. Some employers have failed to communicate these wage increases and classification changes, leaving it up to members to chase details and clarification from their employer.
A VOICE FOR TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY IN AGED CARE
2,700+
Aged Care Watch reports made nationally in the last year
Following years of strong advocacy work on behalf of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, in July 2023, it became a legal requirement for aged care facilities to provide 200 minutes of direct care to each resident, per day, with 40 from Registered Nurses (RN). Last October, this care standard rose to 215 minutes per resident, per day, with 44 of those minutes delivered by a RN. A new provision also allows for up to 10% of the RN minutes to be delivered by an Enrolled Nurse EN.
Amid concerns over noncompliance by some providers, unions, including the ANMF NSW Branch, continued to lobby the Department of Health and then Minister for Aged Care, Annika Wells. This effort to boost accountability saw the minister pen an open letter to providers In it, Annika Wells criticised any employer who failed to deliver the care standards expected of them. The minister also issued a new set of guidance for workers to help educate around the latest changes.
440+
Aged Care Watch reports made in NSW over the last year
In late 2023, the ANMF NSW Branch partnered with the United Workers Union and Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union to develop Aged Care Watch. This online tool empowers aged care workers to selfreport concerns regarding staffing, pay, and workload issues. Aged care workers, residents, and family members have embraced the reporting tool, which has assisted unions in holding providers to account.
To further support members, ANMF NSW Branch organising teams launched two weeks of care minutes workplace visits in the second half of October, targeting key aged care employers. Members were provided with the union’s own guidance material, with additional advice around how to enforce care minutes at the workplace level.
(At time of print)
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BUILDING STRENGTH IN PRIMARY CARE
Primary health care nurses play an important role in serving the community, this includes medical centres and GP services, telehealth, community care, IVF clinics, and more. However, due to the segmented nature of primary health workplaces, it is often difficult to build collective strength in this sector.
The ANMF NSW Branch is working to amplifying the voices of primary care nurses. This is essential to fostering greater solidarity and shared activism. We are committed to raising standards of pay in this sector, and we’ve already made progress in securing greater recognition for the skills of clinicians working in this space.
Unions have been advocating for a broadened scope of responsibilities as part of the federal government’s Scope of Practice review, and in May 2024, we secured the removal of collaborative arrangements as part of the Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2024. This better recognises the role of nurse practitioners and midwives in the delivery of health services.
Finding a unified voice
In November 2024, the ANMF NSW Branch held its first-ever Primary Care Symposium. The event brought together 30 members from across the state. Attendees had the opportunity to share their experiences, identify key work concerns, and discuss the future of primary care nursing. Primary care nurses also heard from ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler.
A key outcome of this symposium was the establishment of our Primary Care network. This initiative aims to offer greater opportunities for members to connect, partake in professional development, and receive greater exposure to union activities.
On 5 February, the ANMF NSW Branch marked Primary Care Nurses Day by coordinating a series of workplace visits. Spearheaded by our Primary Care Coordinator, organisers were on-site at almost a dozen medical practices. We also participated in a local health district nursing forum, connecting primary care nurses from across Sydney.
At the time of print, work continues on the Federal Nurses Award Work Value Case, launched by the ANMF in February 2024. This case seeks wage increases of up to 35.8% for registered and enrolled nurses, and up to 26.5% for nursing assistants. In late 2024, seven members stepped forward as potential expert witnesses, and the ANMF’s legal team is now preparing members to give evidence in late 2025, or 2026. This testimony will be essential in illustrating how the workforce has evolved significantly over the past decade.
The ANMF NSW Branch has developed an ongoing program of webinars and community-building activities that will further strengthen our primary care members’ power through 2025 and beyond. We are excited to leverage the growing enthusiasm within our membership, and this will remain a strong focus into the future.
LANDMARK AGREEMENT SECURED AFTER HISTORIC RAMSAY CAMPAIGN
After more than 250 days of sustained industrial action, members working at Australia’s largest private hospital, Ramsay Health Care, endorsed a new enterprise agreement in April.
This marked the longest protected action campaign in our union’s history, and it speaks to the tenacity of members to secure better pay and conditions, having moved Ramsay from its initial pay offer of just 8.5% over three years.
A campaign built on persistence
This agreement was not without a fight. Member unity kept the pressure on Ramsay, forcing the employer to make a fair offer. In total, this campaign saw:
• More than 60 strikes, including a mass action at the 2024 Ramsay Annual General Meeting
• 21 bargaining meetings between 2023-2025, and
• Three member no-votes to reject earlier offers
More than 95% of Ramsay members voted in favour of the new agreement, which includes:
16% pay increase over three years, with 9.5% paid in the first 12 months, and backpay to July 2023
Reduced patient loads for nurses in-charge of hospitals
Limitations on non-clinical duties
Increased paid parental leave for both primary carers and supporting partners
Higher overtime and weekend penalty rates for casual employees
Improved rights and paid leave for branch officials
Growth through struggle, with more to be done
In total, more than 900 members were recruited throughout this campaign. This growth is important to ensure we secure further improvements in future negotiations.
Members had sought mandated shift by shift nurse/midwife-to-patient ratios for all wards and units in Ramsay’s 39 facilities across NSW. These crucial safe staffing improvements could not be secured in this
bargaining campaign, however the fight for ratios continues, and we look forward to campaigning on this issue with hundreds of new members who are willing to stand side by side in this fight.
“This three-year deal lays a strong foundation for future progress.”
Michaela Maljcov, ANMF NSW Branch The Border Cancer Hospital Branch President
“For many nurses this was a catalyst to join the NSWNMA and begin the fight for a better deal.”
STANDING BY HEALTHSCOPE MEMBERS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
ANMF NSW Branch members took part in historical industrial action, courageously standing up to the country’s second largest private hospital operator, Healthscope.
As part of their demands, members called for mandated nurse/midwife-to-patient ratios, a 15% one-year pay increase, doubling night shift penalty rates to 30%, and improved leave entitlements.
Last November, hundreds of members came together for snap strikes, they also enforced overtime bans, and refused requests to redeploy to other wards or hospitals.
One month later, the ANMF NSW Branch commenced partial work bans, including bans on non-clinical duties, paperwork, and data entry.
In March and April, members escalated the campaign with further stop work actions.
“We are extremely disappointed by the financial collapse of Healthscope. Our union has sought assurances that Healthscope hospitals will remain open and jobs and hardearned entitlements will be protected.”
Michael Whaites, ANMF NSW Branch Assistant General Secretary, 26 May 2025
Four Healthscope hospitals, including Northern Beaches Hospital, Norwest Private, Newcastle Private, and Nepean Private, took part in a series of rolling stoppages, striking for 26 hours each in addition to enacting overtime bans.
Following an intense period of media speculation, in late May, the parent companies of Healthscope went into receivership.
Shortly after news broke, the Commonwealth Bank provided $100 million in loan funding to help keep Healthscope’s facilities running, including the 12 sites in NSW alone.
The ANMF NSW Branch wrote to Healthscope members, providing them with immediate guidance and scheduled Zoom webinars to keep members up to date on their rights and responsibilities.
“(The federal government) made very clear (its) expectations that the interests of patients and hard-working staff will be the highest priority through this process... We’ll be engaging closely through the receivership and administration process to protect the interests of staff and patients going forward.”
The Hon Mark Butler MP, 26 May 2025
possible outcome for members. Meetings have already taken place with the receivers, McGrath Nichol, as well as the appointed administrator, being supported by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and Annie Butler, ANMF Federal Secretary, has held discussions with the Federal Health Minister, Mark Butler. The Minister has already told Healthscope’s administrators they must do the right thing by the community, nurses, and midwives.
ANMF representatives continue to speak with the federal Department of Health to advocate for the best interests of members.
This process is expected to take several months to complete.
Rejecting flawed public-private model
The NSW government has already indicated it intends to pursue the transition of Northern Beaches Hospital into public hands, stepping away from the flawed public-private partnership model that was entered into under the NSW Coalition government in 2014. The ANMF NSW Branch will endeavour to work with the government to ensure this transition occurs smoothly, and in a timely fashion.
NEW BENCHMARKS SET AT EAST SYDNEY PRIVATE HOSPITAL
Following a strong bargaining campaign and negotiations that were spearheaded by four branch representatives, members at East Sydney Private Hospital secured an historic outcome with 100% of staff voting yes to a new Enterprise Agreement.
Members won an increase in personal leave, rising from 10 days to 13 days per year. They
also secured an increase on their annual leave loading, rising from 17.5% to 18.5% over the life of their agreement.
WIN
The pay deal will see increases of 13.5% over three years, with major gains made on leave entitlements.
OVERTIME ALLOWANCE WIN AT MERCY AGED CARE
ANMF NSW members working at Mercy Health Aged Care have secured a significant victory, ensuring proper compensation for all employees across the organisation’s three NSW sites: Albury, Harris Park, and Young.
Following sustained advocacy by the Mercy Place Albury branch, it was identified that overtime meal allowances outlined in the union-negotiated Enterprise Agreement (EA) were not being paid correctly. Members also argued that under the EA, they were entitled to third and fourth overtime meal allowances, which apply during extended overtime (more than nine hours).
This result is testament to the proactive work of members at Mercy Place Albury, holding employers to account and ensuring workers are paid their entitlements in full.
WIN
Despite initial resistance from the employer, Mercy eventually conceded fault, agreeing to:
Ongoing compliance: All employees will now receive third and fourth overtime meal allowances, payable every four hours of overtime beyond the second allowance
Compensation: A one-off payment of $100 (gross) will be made to all employees to compensate for underpayments of these extended overtime allowances over the last six years
Back pay: Eligible employees will also receive back-pay for previously unpaid first and second overtime meal allowances (applicable after one and four hours of overtime), once the audit process is complete. This is in addition to the $100 (gross) payment
Future accountability: The ANMF NSW Branch will continue working with Mercy to ensure that all overtime meal allowances are correctly paid moving forward, and in a timely fashion
ORGANISING AGAINST RACISM IN THE AGED CARE SECTOR
Over the past year, members working for Estia raised concerns about a Code of Conduct policy that prohibited staff from speaking languages other than English, including during unpaid breaks. With more than 40% of participating nurses and carers speaking a language other than English at home2, this policy disproportionately affected culturally and linguistically diverse members.
In response, Estia members initiated a survey to gather feedback on the language ban. The results were stark, with more than 70% of respondents signalling they wanted the ban reversed. Members cited their right to communicate in their preferred language during breaks, signalling no risk to, or compromise of, resident care during designated work hours.
In supporting aged care members, the ANMF NSW Branch took the issue directly to Estia management, flagging concerns that the policy could be in breach of the Fair Work Act, and racial discrimination protections. To build further momentum in this fight, the ANMF NSW Branch coordinated efforts with fellow branches of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, and other unions including the United Workers Union.
WIN
In November 2024, ANMF NSW Branch member leader Linda Hardman joined a joint union delegation in meeting with Estia management. The group made a compelling case, and just one month later, Estia acknowledged the negative impact of its policy and chose to:
• Remove the language ban from the Code of Conduct
• Amend the policy to reflect workers’ rights, and
• Re-communicated the updated policy to all staff across the country
This result is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when members stand together to reject unjust policies. This result not only upheld the rights of workers but also set a precedent for fairness and inclusivity in the aged care sector.
The ANMF NSW Branch is a proud advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse communities and we will continue to stand with members in fighting for safer, respectful and inclusive working environments.
“A lot of workers were relieved and happy the campaign was successful, but some were disappointed that it took Estia so long to change the policy.”
MEMBERS SHOW SOLIDARITY, STAND FIRM AMID PSYCHIATRIST RESIGNATIONS
The state’s public health system faced yet another major challenge in late January as more than 200 psychiatrists signalled their intent to resign en masse, citing uncompetitive pay and deteriorating working conditions in the mental health space.
The resignations, which amounted to almost half of the state’s public sector psychiatrist workforce, led to the closure of mental health beds and services.
Amid shared concerns over the state of public health, the NSWNMA signalled its immediate support of the union for doctors, ASMOF, expressing solidarity with its members who are also locked in a bitter industrial dispute with the state government.
Moving swifty to protect members, the NSWNMA issued guidance encouraging nurses to not undertake duties that were outside their scope of practice.
In February, 70 specialist psychiatrists who reportedly left our public health system were subsequently rehired as contractors, known as visiting medical officers. With approximately one in three of the state’s specialist psychiatry positions being vacant, the reliance on temporary or locum staff will only exacerbate the long-term issues already plaguing mental health care in the state.
“We are definitely in favour of expanded roles for nurses but you can’t use us as a stop gap in a crisis with no planning, no discussion, and no increase in salary.”
At Western Sydney Local Health District, management closed a significant number of mental health beds across Cumberland and Westmead Hospitals. This saw management attempt to move patients with mental health comorbidities to inappropriate wards at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals, without appropriately trained mental health nurses.
In response, members stood together to ensure patients and staff were not put at risk. Members insisted on adequate violence prevention and management training, the provision of duress alarms, physical changes to wards to make them safer, and changes to proposed patient inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Through advocacy, including the intervention of SafeWork NSW, the NSW IRC, and the Minister for Mental Health, the proposed new ward spaces have since been improved, and staff have received further training and equipment. The NSWNMA continues to monitor the situation to ensure patient and staff safety remain high priorities.
At the time of print, ASMOF remains in dispute with the NSW government.
“High staff turnover and excessive demand for services are a direct result of low wages and poor working conditions, which means that nurses, midwives and now psychiatrists are choosing not to practise in the public health system.”
Skye Romer, NSWNMA Councillor and Prince of Wales Mental Health Branch Secretary, 25 January 2025
(Source: The Daily Telegraph)
MEMBERS SPEAK UP, SECURE WIN AMID DANGEROUS NICU CONDITIONS
In late June, around 100 members and supporters came together outside Westmead Hospital to sound the alarm on overcrowding issues at the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Reports of sick babies being ‘double’ or ‘triple parked’ despite requiring 1:1 or 1:2 nursing care highlighted the dire situation. Members called for the state’s Health Minister, Ryan Park, to urgently intervene, and just days after this rally, the minister, his staff, and senior Western Sydney Local Health District executives, met with the NSWNMA to discuss the staffing issues, health and safety hazards, and members’ other concerns.
WIN
The Health Minister confirmed the immediate advertising and fast tracking of recruitment to fill existing vacancies in the NICU, representing approximately 10.44 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses. Approval was also given to increase the number of FTE nurses by 15.
The Health Minister also agreed to work towards: Growing the capacity across the Local Health District for special care nursery beds and staffing
A new built environment of the Westmead NICU
This is a terrific example of what we can achieve when members mobilise and agitate for change to deliver a safer, more sustainable health system.
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BIRTHING UNIT STANDS BY 12-HOUR SHIFTS
Birthing Unit (BU) members at Westmead Hospital successfully defended their right to retain 12-hour shifts, following a concerted campaign and urgent conciliation efforts in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).
Initially, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) sought to remove the 12hour shift model from the BU, dismissing its well-documented benefits and comparing midwifery shift patterns to those in nonhealthcare settings, such as mining.
BU members strongly objected to the proposal, highlighting the positive impact of 12-hour shifts on:
• Continuity of care for patients, and
• Work-life balance and the retention of midwives
BU members formed a strong internal network, demonstrating leadership and innovation by:
• Engaging non-eligible members to foster greater workplace solidarity
• Clearly articulating the operational and clinical benefits of the current shift model
WIN
After sustained pressure from members, WSLHD acknowledged the lack of evidence to support its position, ultimately agreeing to retain the 12-hour shifts on the condition that 50% of eligible staff opted in. Members quickly mobilised to exceed this threshold, securing the shift model’s continuation.
The WSLHD has also requested the NSWNMA’s input on the development of a statewide fatigue management policy. This aims to create transparent criteria and a structured framework for evaluating the viability of 12-hour shifts across facilities.
The success of this campaign has led to renewed enthusiasm from BU members who are now eager to advocate for other important professional issues. Several midwives involved in this campaign have since signed on as Stewards and have committed to participating in the Birthrate Plus® and Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (PHS) Award campaign.
MEMBERS SPEAK UP, HOLD THE LINE ON MATERNITY UNIT STAFFING
In response to proposed staff cuts at Port Macquarie Base Hospital’s maternity unit, members have pushed back on suggested changes that would lead to increased pressure on midwives and threaten the standards of care.
A new staffing model, based on the 2022 Birthrate Plus® review, proposed changes that would see midwife shifts reduce from three to two per shift. The rostering was scheduled to start from November 11, 2023, however, members invoked Clause 6 of the Award to maintain the status quo in the years since.
Over the past 12 months, members have coordinated a campaign to raise awareness of the circumstances, partaking in own-time rallies, engaging in media opportunities, and wearing union scrubs and campaign badges while on-shift. Members are now seeking a new Birthrate Plus® review before any staffing changes are made.
MEMBER VICTORY AFTER LENGTHY DISPUTE OVER IN-CHARGE ALLOWANCE
In May 2023, the Blue Mountains Mental Health Branch raised concerns that the supernumerary in charge of the weekday AM shifts was not receiving the appropriate allowance, despite having significant clinical management responsibilities under their Team Leader duties.
The NSWNMA, in collaboration with the Branch, began gathering substantial evidence that demonstrated the individual was managing day-to-day clinical operations even when the Nursing Unit Manager was on-site.
Following a branch motion, a formal dispute was put forward and the Local Health District elected to refuse negotiations over the matter. This forced the issue to be escalated to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).
Despite member efforts to reach a resolution, the dispute was further escalated to arbitration, where it was scheduled for discussion in April 2024.
WIN
Sustained pressure and impending arbitration saw the District change tack, ultimately leading to an in-principle agreement in July 2024. This included:
Backpay to 2017, totalling approximately $50,000
Allowance to be paid daily on an interim basis from 1 July 2024
Any future changes to the allowance will require formal consultation around the Model of Care
The dispute has since been formally closed with the IRC, and a NSWNMA Officer is assisting members with ensuring the correct backpay amounts have been received.
SUPPORTING
MANDATORY TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR CRITICAL INCIDENT DEBRIEFING
At our 2024 NSWNMA Annual Conference, delegates passed a resolution calling for mandatory training and education in critical incident debriefing. The resolution also called for the availability of mental health-trained therapists or counsellors in each Local Health District (LHD) to provide immediate support following a critical incident.
Between February and May 2025, the NSWNMA actively lobbied the Ministry of Health, presenting evidence-based arguments for mandated debriefing training and structured post-incident support for healthcare workers.
On 3 June, the Secretary of Health confirmed that the Ministry is now progressing an
evidence-based initiative. This includes the development of a three-tiered model of support:
• Tier 3: Access to professional support and debriefing
• Tier 2: Access to peer-led support and debriefing
• Tier 1: Resources for managers to support staff following an incident
As part of this work, the Ministry is considering the introduction of mandated training in critical incident debriefing. The NSWNMA will continue to advocate for compulsory training as part of staff education, and that timely and professional mental health support is readily accessible and consistent across all LHDs.
ESCALATED ACTION SECURES SAFER STAFFING
AT TOMAREE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
The Tomaree Community Hospital Branch has led a sustained campaign to improve staffing.
At the time, the hospital’s staffing model required only three nurses to manage a 14-bed inpatient unit and the Emergency Department (ED), which included four acute beds, and one resuscitation bed. With more than 15,000 patients passing through the hospital’s doors each year, the ED is the busiest Level 2 ED in the state. This demand has placed severe strain on staff, particularly during night shifts.
To address concerns, branch members initiated formal consultations with hospital management, forming a Union Specific Consultative Committee (USCC) in mid-November, 2024. The committee raised several issues, including:
• Breaches of hospital admission criteria
• Missed meal breaks, and
• The use of an unauthorised room for clinical purposes
Though some progress was made in response to these concerns, including capping the inpatient unit at 12 beds and halting the unauthorised room’s clinical use, no improvements were made to staffing levels.
Frustrated by delays, the Branch escalated its efforts in early 2025. Following a peak summer period with no staffing improvements, members expressed concern over a three-week delay to a scheduled USCC meeting on 24 March, due to management’s
unavailability and lack of a clear staffing plan. In response, the branch took further steps to seek local support, including:
• Meeting with Port Stephens Mayor, Leah Anderson, and
• Initiating discussions with Port Stephens MP, Kate Washington
WIN
Just one month later, following ongoing pressure and advocacy, hospital management committed to staffing reforms that include:
Four nurses staffing the night shift (up from three)
A fifth nurse added to both morning and afternoon shifts
An estimated increase of five full-time equivalent (FTE) nursing staff as a result of the above measures, and
The 12-bed inpatient cap will remain, with 10 beds now permanently
TAKING A STAND AGAINST WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
Through coordinated, collective action, members at Grafton Base Hospital and Broken Hill District Hospital have campaigned for, and secured, critical safety improvements following escalating violence in their respective workplaces.
Grafton Base Hospital
Despite a prior serious assault on a staff member, 24/7 security coverage in the Emergency Department was withdrawn just before Christmas 2023. The removal of security coincided with a spike in violence and aggressive incidents, prompting members to consider calling time on unsafe work under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
The branch began weighing up its options, taking several key actions to influence for change:
• Mapping membership and strengthening internal networks
• Escalating concerns to SafeWork NSW
• Engaging directly with the local Member of Parliament
• Challenging the Local Health District’s inaction on previously issued Provisional Improvement Notices by SafeWork NSW
WIN
This advocacy ultimately secured the permanent placement of two Health and Security Assistants (HSAs) on a 24/7 basis in the Emergency Department, and the broader hospital.
Ongoing engagement with SafeWork NSW will ensure these essential improvements
Broken Hill District Hospital
Members took swift action after nine assaults by a single patient were recorded within a three-week period, during times when no security was present. Several nurses sustained injuries that required time off work under workers’ compensation.
In mid-April 2024, the local branch passed a resolution demanding:
• 24/7 security coverage on the Surgical Ward
• Personal duress alarms for staff, and
• Code Black team coverage during security breaks
In doing so, members made it clear that a cease-work action, under the WHS Act, would take place if the Far West Local Heath District failed to meet these demands. The District responded promptly, recognising the risks involved and met the branch demands.
WIN
Security was reinstated at the hospital, staff were issued duress alarms, and the proposed cease-work action was subsequently withdrawn. Members have made it clear that they reserve the right to take future action if safety is once again compromised.
BLACK AND BLUE
These examples underscore the effectiveness of member-led action in addressing workplace violence. The NSWNMA will continue to support members as they uphold these gains and continue advocating for safer workplaces.
Aussie kingpin joins Irish
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SECURING FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR STUDENT PLACEMENTS
Nursing and midwifery students are required to complete more than 800 hours of unpaid placement in hospitals, aged care facilities and community health facilities as part of their clinical placements.
This imposes a significant financial burden, stemming in large part from the loss of regular income and out-of-pocket expenses.
A motion was put forward at our 2023 Annual Conference calling on the union to actively campaign to address this issue, with paid placements identified as one of the key measures to help ease the financial pressure on students.
In early 2024, a NSWNMA petition calling on the federal government to commit to paid placements secured almost 8,000 signatures, and these concerns were raised with federal Education Minister, Jason Clare.
The NSWNMA, alongside the ANMF federal office, make it clear that no student nurse or midwife should be forced to pull out of their studies because they cannot afford to complete their early career path.
WIN
In May 2024, the federal government publicly committed to providing financial assistance to students studying nursing and midwifery, as well as other essential services including teaching, and social work.
From 1 July, 2025, nursing and midwifery students can now apply for the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP). This national initiative is a positive first step in combatting placement poverty.
Under the CPP, benchmarked to the single Austudy rate, students deemed eligible will receive $331.65 per week. University students (Bachelor and Masters) can apply for this financial assistance via their education provider. For students enrolled in a Diploma of Nursing at TAFE, or Registered Training Organisation, the CPP (VET) is being delivered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
This is a welcome first step, however, more must still be done to further ease the costs associated with undergoing mandatory clinical placements. The NSWNMA will continue advocating for additional measures to make quality education more accessible and viable for student nurses and midwives.
THOUSANDS SPEAK UP IN COLLABORATIVE JOB CONTROL SURVEY
Last December, the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work entered into a first-ofits-kind research partnership with the NSWNMA. Together, both parties have begun collaborating on an initiative that investigates nurse, midwife, and carer experiences, attitudes, and aspirations regarding shift work and rostering.
In June, the NSWNMA promoted a job control survey to members. This invited feedback on how members see their work-life balance and respect at work. It also sought insights on member experiences with burnout, financial
stress, unpaid overtime, and the level of support they receive from managers and colleagues.
This survey received approximately 2,000 responses, with around 80% of those taking part working in public hospitals. At the time of print, response data is still being analysed by the Centre’s survey team.
Professor Rae Cooper AO will present high-level findings from this survey at Annual Conference. A more comprehensive survey report will be delivered by the Centre at a later date. Further collaborative work will take place to help inform future policymaking around our professions.
INDUSTRIAL
$2,097,033
71 new contact/ responses each day
Responded to an average of 71 new contacts each day from individual members looking for advice and support.
1.7K members supported
Supported 1,767 members during workplace fact finding/ disciplinary processes, representing 2,059 cases. UP 32.3% year-on-year
884 members assisted with payroll queries
Assisted nearly 884 individual members with separate and individual payroll queries, most involving under/overpayments of salaries and allowances, non-payment of hours worked and issues with incremental progression. This represented 1007 cases.
1.2K advice + input to workplace changes
Provided expert advice and input to more than 1,200 restructures or workplace changes initiated by employers across public and private health, aged care, and disability services. This includes closures, transmission of business, significant change in services/hours, and rosters.
Total amount of monies recouped for members between 1 July 2024 –30 June 2025.
24K issues resolved
Providing the necessary information, guidance, or active support and representation to resolve issues for members and workplaces.
409 employment termination cases
Provided advice or assistance to 409 members with actual or threatened termination of their employment, representing 441 cases
944 workers’ compensation cases
Assisted 750 members across 944 cases with workers compensation issues, including help to obtain return to work/suitable duties. UP 45% year-on-year
388 member referrals
Provided 388 members with referrals for specialist assistance from NEW Law for various workplace matters, including representation with declined workers compensation claims*. UP ±25% year-on-year
Excludes assistance provided to members at Coroner’s Court/inquests.
TOP ISSUES: WHAT MEMBERS ASKED ABOUT
*Study Leave, Leave Without Pay, Carer’s Leave, Trade Union Leave, Special Leave, Partner Leave etc
1 All leave types 13.76% Top five types of leave queries requiring our assistance: Parental leave (including maternity,
partner leave etc)
2 Employer investigations e.g. clinical practice, conduct, absences 12.34%
3 Employer operations 7.29%
4 Hours of work and rosters 7.23%
OUR MEMBER RIGHTS CENTRE
YOUR SUPPORT IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
All nurses, midwives, and carers deserve to have their pay and conditions rightly afforded to them. To support our members across the state, the NSWNMA’s team of Information Officers, Industrial Officers, Member Support Officers, and Nurse-Midwife Advocates fight for your rights, and work tirelessly to hold employers to account.
Keeping BaptistCare accountable
Following the Work Value increase in June 2023, the federal government fully funded a 15% increase to all nurses working in aged care. Employers were required to pass on the funding to each nursing classification.
However, it was discovered that BaptistCare had failed to apply the increase to its senior nursing management, and did not inform these employees that they were covered under the Nurses Award 2020.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) lodged a case with the Fair Work Commission (FWC), citing a breach of the obligation to notify employees of their Award coverage.
WIN
Entitlements delivered!
Following ongoing dialogue, and with the assistance of the FWC, BaptistCare agreed to apply the Commonwealth-funded wage increase to its senior nursing managers, including full backpay.
Thanks to the ANMF’s advocacy, approximately 70 Senior Nurse Managers have received the pay entitlements they rightly deserved.
Backing Senior Nurse Managers in on-call dispute
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) requested further assistance from Senior Nurse Managers (Grade 4 and above). These members were asked to participate in the
executive on-call weekend and overnight roster. In the wake of the extensive health crisis, members reported feeling a duty to oblige.
Once the peak of the pandemic had subsided, CCLHD continued this practice. Nurse Managers working Monday to Friday, and regular unpaid overtime, were expected to adhere to an on-call roster that placed them on-call for a week per month, on the nights they work, and the rostered days off.
In 2021, the NSWNMA supported the relevant Nurse Management Branch in restricting the on-call roster to rostered days only. The provisions of clause 4(xvii)(b) provide that there is no capacity, except in extreme circumstances, to be on-call on rostered days off, or the completion of the employees’ shift on the day preceding a rostered day off.
In April 2025, CCLHD recommenced its efforts to require Nurse Managers back on to the on-call roster, on the basis that the Health Services Managers had to do so.
WIN
Standing up for a fair work-life balance
The NSWNMA attended branch and dispute meetings to reject the on-call roll-out in CCLHD. We have also proposed a pilot arrangement that would grant Nurse Managers an alternative rostered day off for every day spent on-call.
This is a great example of workers standing up for their rights. Though concerns at CCLHD have been addressed, we know this issue is not isolated. Similar pressures are reportedly being applied across other Local Health Districts.
In response, the NSWNMA has reached out to all Nurse Management Branches across the public sector to raise awareness of their rights and encourage collective action to uphold fair working conditions, particularly the right to genuine time off.
WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY
KEY ISSUES DEALT WITH
Advocating for safety in the workplace
• Participated in the development of the Safework NSW code of practice for Blood-Borne Viruses
• Contributing to the development of an international Labour Organization convention on the Management of Biological Hazards
• Contributing to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 review
• Contributing to the proposed Worker’s Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill
• Co-authoring the code of practice for Sexual and Gender-based Harassment
NSWNMA hosts Inaugural Health and Safety Conference
In October 2024, the NSWNMA hosted its firstever Health and Safety Conference, coinciding with National Safe Work Month. The event was a resounding success, bringing together more than 70 nurses, midwives, and carers from across the state.
The conference theme centred around Psychosocial Health and Safety, addressing the often-overlooked mental and emotional challenges faced by healthcare workers. Guest speakers delivered insights on how to identify psychosocial hazards in the workplace, managing role overload, and tackling occupational sexual and genderbased harassment.
WIN
Empowered members, safer workplaces
Members engaged in hands-on workshops designed to deepen their understanding of psychosocial risk management. This conference empowered our members to develop practical tools and strategies to help create safer, more supportive work environments in their own workplace.
Safety-first nursing workstations in Emergency Department Assessment Units
To better manage patients with acute behavioural disturbances, the Ministry of Health commenced a trial within select emergency departments that has seen the design and implementation of special selfcontained areas.
The goal of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic patient care through low-stimuli environments, with hopes of reducing episodes of violence and aggression.
As the trial entered its implementation stage, members of Prince of Wales Hospital ED identified serious failures in the design of the nursing stations, citing security and access concerns that could inspire further physical and/or psychosocial harm in the workplace.
With support from the NSWNMA, members were empowered to work alongside SafeWork NSW to have their concerns addressed. It was determined that initial designs were in fact unsafe, and that the Local Health District had fallen short in considering the risks associated with them.
WIN
LHD commits to common sense measures to keep staff safe
• Installation of fully enclosed nursing stations with swipe card access, maintaining a safe and secure work environment
• Upgraded duress alarm systems to facilitate immediate calls for assistance
• An improved model of care, with clear inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure appropriate patient admissions to the unit
• A precedent for best practice design – enclosing nursing stations within selfcontained assessment units has been adopted at other workplaces, including the emergency department at Nepean Hospital
Addressing concerns of workplace violence, aggression, and racism in Murrumbidgee LHD
When existing safety systems were failing to protect nurses from ongoing risks to their psychological and physical wellbeing, Wagga Wagga Mental Health Unit members bravely spoke up to instigate positive change in the workplace.
Members reported cases of unchecked violence and aggression, racial abuse from patients, and ineffective internal processes for investigating concerns. Staff across the district experienced widespread distress and despite repeated efforts to have these issues addressed at the local level, members were forced to escalate their concerns, with support from the NSWNMA.
• The introduction of a district-wide antiracism policy, providing a clear framework to address racial abuse and promote a respectful workplace culture
• Improved systems of work that reinforce a zero-tolerance approach to racial hatred, sexual harassment, violence, and aggression in the workplace
• A review of investigation procedures, with a focus on identifying failures and improving accountability
• Enhanced consultation with nurses, ensuring a stronger nursing voice within multidisciplinary teams, particularly in the development of patient management plans.
Support for increasingly active, engaged Health and Safety Representatives
The number of elected Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) throughout the NSWNMA’s membership is increasing dramatically, with significant interest in our five-day HSR training.
This is a pleasing trend, giving members additional, legislated powers to address hazards, and achieve safer workplaces.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
NSW Maternity Services Alliance
The Maternity Services Alliance continues to meet monthly, bringing together a diverse range of members including the Australian College of Midwives, Waminda, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and key consumer groups.
Though the NSW Country Women’s Association has stepped back from regular participation, it remains closely connected and is available for consultation on rural issues.
The Alliance has held talks with representatives from the Office of the Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison, as well as Dr Michael Holland, representing the Minister for Health, to discuss our role, and explore collaborative opportunities to improve maternity services across the state.
Members are in the early stages of developing community education resources to raise awareness and understanding of maternity care in NSW.
NSW Aged Care Roundtable
The NSW Aged Care Roundtable is a longstanding coalition of key stakeholders, including medical professionals, clinical experts, and consumer advocacy groups, united by a shared commitment to improving standards in aged care. The group’s primary focus is advocating for safe staffing levels and raising awareness among the public and stakeholders about the challenges faced by aged care workers.
In October 2024, the Roundtable organised a community event to promote the ‘10 Questions to Ask’ leaflet series.
Co-developed by the group, these resources aim to educate the community by providing vital information, particularly around resident rights concerning direct care minutes, and the expectations of safe staffing levels.
The Roundtable remains a strong force in aged care, leaning on its stable base of regular partner organisations to advocate for improvements to the sector. Its collaborative approach and collective expertise enable it to effectively respond to both local and national issues, making it a respected and influential voice.
NSW Mental Health Alliance
Comprising peak bodies and communitymanaged organisations, the NSW Mental Health Alliance is an advocate for important reform and investment in mental health services.
This Alliance represents a broad cross-section of our state’s mental health sector, including the workforce, people with lived and living experience, carers, and kin. It acts as a key influencer on the state government and other key stakeholders to help drive systemic change.
The NSWNMA has contacted the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN), a key member of the Alliance, to show support. We will continue to engage with ACMHN Senior Policy Advisor, Professor Mary Chiarella AM, Professor Emerita at the University of
EDUCATION
SUPPORTING MEMBERS ON THEIR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY
748 members attended face-to-face professional education
28 face-to-face professional education sessions in 12 locations
The NSWNMA’s Professional education team delivers face-to-face learning, speciality forums, and online education via webinars and the iLearn platform.
Across the past year, in-person education sessions have been held in locations across the state, including:
• Waterloo
• Albury
• Alexandria
• Armidale
• Blacktown
• Coffs Harbour
Seminar days
• Gymea
• Newcastle
• Orange
• Port Macquarie
• Shellharbour
• Wagga Wagga
Specialty seminar days have been held to educate members on key areas, including:
• Aged Care
• Health and Safety
• Midwifery
• New Graduates
44 members supported with their registration condition
Education support with Registration Conditions or Performance Assessment
In the past 12 months, the Professional Education team has:
• Provided tailored support to 44 members with Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) imposed conditions on their registration
• Of this group, 20 members have now had their cases successfully closed, reflecting a significant milestone in their professional progression
The NSWNMA recognises that more work must be done in this space. Members from marginalised backgrounds, including culturally and linguistically diverse nurses, midwives, and carers, remain disproportionately represented among those subjected to the regulatory process.
This highlights the importance of our continued advocacy and culturally responsive support to help address structural inequity.
Returning Rural, Regional and Remote seminar a success
In May 2025, the NSWNMA partnered with Charles Sturt University to co-host the second Rural, Regional and Remote Nurses and Midwives Conference. The event, held in Orange, brought together healthcare professionals and students from across the state. Attendees took part in important conversations to address the pressing challenges facing regional healthcare, including digital innovation, mental health, and workforce retention.
The conference served as a fundamental opportunity to build connections, share knowledge, and collaborate. Attendee feedback suggested the event uplifted the voices of rural nurses, midwives, and carers, attracting greater awareness on the future of healthcare in remote and regional communities.
MEMBERS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING
iLearn, our digital learning management system continues to grow in popularity with members.
15,120+ members utilising iLearn platform UP 37% (At time of print)
Webinars
157,400+ hours of Continuing Professional Development completed (since iLearn’s launch in 2022)
Throughout the year, the NSWNMA presents webinars to assist members with additional professional development.
These sessions cover pertinent topics including professional obligations, communication and documentation, medications, and more.
290
modules available, offering a diverse selection of self-paced learning opportunities
ASSOCIATE STUDENT MEMBERSHIP
2,510 student members recruited (July 2024 – June 2025)
18 student representatives recruited from across the tertiary sector
The NSWNMA values the vital contributions students make to our shared fight to improve pay and conditions for all nurses, midwives, and carers.
Student to New Grad
The Student to New Grad series continues to be a valuable and popular resource for nursing and midwifery students as they transition into the workforce.
Education has been delivered through a series of webinars, covering:
• The Award, rostering and how to read a payslip
• Professional obligations practice, and
• Annual CPD obligation and reflective practice.
In total, 172 students attended this series
5,555 student memberships UP 3.15% year-on-year (At time of print)
To promote the NSWNMA’s student membership offerings, Member Development Officers, supported by the Professional Services team and other NSWNMA staff, have participated in university orientations, information sessions, and employment expos.
Flying Start
The Flying Start webinar series is an educational program tailored to nursing and midwifery students who are preparing to graduate and apply for GradStart employment.
The series provides guidance on the application and interview process for new graduate positions, as well as support with registration through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
Over the past year, this webinar series attracted more than 400 student registrants
SOCIAL JUSTICE
A VOICE FOR QUALITY, UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
The NSWNMA is committed to campaigning for a universal health system that prioritises equitable access to care for all Australians. At the centre of this work is recognising the health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the wider Australian population. As health professionals, we have a role to play in advocating for a brighter, more equitable future.
Representation at all levels
In the past twelve months, we’ve strengthened our internal representation to ensure Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander members have a greater say in the democratic structures of our union.
In April 2025, the NSWNMA marked an historic moment with the election of two Aboriginal members to the union’s Council: Mathew Grant, a Wiradjuri man and mental health nurse from our state’s west, and Rebekah Henderson, a Wiradjuri woman and midwife working in western Sydney, were elected unopposed.
Change inspired by grassroots strength
Formed in January 2024, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Member Circle continues to grow. A strong focus on member engagement has seen member numbers rise to 1,670 at time of print, a 45% increase year-on-year!
Members who self-identify as Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander are automatically members of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Member Circle.
Supporting reconciliation
The NSWNMA has commenced work on a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This is being driven by staff who have volunteered to serve on our ongoing RAP working group.
Our RAP lays the foundation for guiding the union on the best means for supporting reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Importantly, it also highlights our commitment to improving understanding, respect, and a commitment to culture.
OCTOBER 2024
Key community activism and engagement
SEPTEMBER
2024
The NSWNMA supports the Pilliga Ultra, a weekend of running, community, and celebration to help raise funds for the campaign to protect the Pilliga from coal seam gas giant Santos.
Members join fellow trade unions, non-government organisations, farmers and community members in standing with the Gomeroi people. Together, they picket the planned route of gas giant Santos, showing strong opposition to a devastating coal seam gas plan that would have a lasting impact on the Pilliga Forest and its surrounds (see ‘Our climate fight continues’ on page 63).
NSWNMA Professional Officer Kate Adams is presented with a Lifetime Ally award at the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) National Conference. This award served as recognition of Kate’s lifelong commitment to supporting and leading systemic change across the nursing, midwifery, and broader health and education sectors. Her advocacy has made a lasting impact on improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses, midwives, students, and the communities they serve.
JANUARY 2025
The NSWNMA held a stall at Yabun Festival, Australia’s largest one-day commemoration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
JULY 2025
NSWNMA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Officer Keith Wicks speaks at the CATSINaM Regional Conference, forming part of an expert panel on ‘Creating Culturally Safe Workplaces: Beyond Awareness to Action’
LISTENING TO MEMBERS, STANDING TOGETHER AGAINST RACISM
In 2024, the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch conducted a survey to examine member experiences with racism in the workplace. This was the second survey of its kind, building on the findings of our 2019 report, The Cultural Safety Gap
In total, more than 3,200 members from across the public, private, and aged care sectors took part in this initiative, with representation from metropolitan, regional, and remote areas
of our state. Initial responses show that there is still much work to be done to make our workplace safer.
The complete findings of this report are anticipated to be published in September 2025. The NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch will work closely with employers and industry groups to establish additional pathways to eliminate racism, systemic discrimination, and marginalisation wherever it may be experienced.
AN ADVOCATE FOR AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE HOUSING
Housing affordability has remained a key focus of the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch over the past 12 months.
In June 2024, a NSW Select Committee was established to look into the pressures surrounding housing for essential workers. As part of this work, the Committee was tasked with determining a clear definition of essential worker housing. It was also given parameters to identify options to increase housing supply, including through planning mechanisms, developer incentives and making use of other government-owned land.
The NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch has contributed to this process through a formal submission, and by coordinating member participation in regional hearings. We have also facilitated member involvement in various media opportunities to raise public
awareness of the housing challenges facing nurses, midwives, and carers.
In recent months we have seen significant reforms to tenancy laws which have enhanced protections for renters, but we know more needs to be done to address the root causes of housing stress.
The NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch has engaged with developers to advocate for the housing needs of our members, with positive dialogue already occurring around housing hotspots including Crows Nest and Camperdown in Sydney, and the state’s Central Coast. Recent local council elections have served as a barometer for community sentiment surrounding increased housing density. Encouragingly, public attitudes have been generally favourable, however, some localised opposition is still being seen in relation to specific development proposals.
OUR CLIMATE FIGHT CONTINUES
Over the past 12 months, the NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch has remained steadfast in its stance of solidarity with the Gomeroi people.
The NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch is a proud member of the Unions NSW Pilliga Campaign Committee, and we are regularly engaged on campaign actions to fight Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project.
In May 2025, the National Native Title Tribunal ruled that the state government is permitted to lease a significant proportion of the sacred Pilliga Forest to Santos. This decision has been rightly condemned by unions, environmental activists, and sectors of the community. The NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch shares these concerns, and we are committed to continuing this fight as Santos seeks additional approvals.
AFFILIATIONS
The NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch continues its work with Hunter Workers and the South Coast Labor Council. This is achieved through participation in local events such as May Day, and political lobbying on important issues including workers’ compensation. Both regional councils continue to provide strong local support to our pay campaigns, and other issues that directly impact local hospitals. As a union, we hold several delegate positions on both councils, and we continue to build direct member involvement through these delegations.
Unions NSW
The peak body for unions in our state, Unions NSW, has been at the heart of the joint campaign against Labor’s appalling attack on workers compensation for psychological injury.
This campaign, which is detailed further in the Major Campaigns section of this report, has been successful in securing important changes. The NSWNMA remains a strong advocate for our members through our affiliation with Unions NSW.
One significant success was our collaboration, alongside the NSW Teachers Federation, on securing major reforms to the NSW Industrial Relations Act. These changes require the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to address gender-based undervaluation of work, improve protections against sexual harassment, and introduce provisions for awarding damages. These measures mark an historic step forward for gender equity in the workplace, and they also reflect the powerful impact of unions working collaboratively to achieve meaningful change.
Through Unions NSW, our members receive access and support from Visa Assist, a service that assists migrant workers. The NSWNMA/ ANMF NSW Branch General Secretary is a Vice President of Unions NSW, and the NSWNMA/ ANMF NSW Branch Assistant General Secretary is also a member of the Finance and Governance Committee, and the Sussex Street Redevelopment Sub-Committee.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF)
The NSWNMA’s General Secretary represents our union on the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s Federal Executive, as well as the ANMF’s Finance and Risk Management Committee. Both the NSWNMA General Secretary and NSWNMA President represent our union at the ANMF Federal Council.
Key areas of focus for the year ahead include aged care reform, the review of the Nurses Award (federal minimum Award), and more recently the coordination of the ANMF’s response to emerging issues such as the sale of Healthscope’s private hospitals, and the cutting of staff by BUPA aged care.
The ANMF’s biennial conference will be held on the Gold Coast in October 2025. This will be an important opportunity to discuss the issues affecting our professions.
‘100 years old, 100 years strong’
Last October, the ANMF and its state and territory branches celebrated a landmark 100 years of advocating on behalf of nurses, midwives, and carers. Starting with just 700 members in 1924, the ANMF has flourished to become the country’s largest union, fighting for more than 345,000 members nationally. From establishing nursing and midwifery schools in the 1920s, to the transition to university education programs in the 1970s and 1980s, the ANMF has been a staunch ally and advocate for members throughout the decades.
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
Our work with the ACTU occurs in numerous ways. The NSWNMA’s Assistant General Secretary and Director, Strategy and Transformation, are both members of the ACTU’s Executive Committee. The Assistant General Secretary also represents the NSWNMA on the ACTU’s International, Workers’ Capital and Trade committees, ensuring member voices are heard. The Director of Strategy and Innovation will be working with the ACTU in the area of artificial intelligence, and a number of NSWNMA officers work with the ACTU on issues such as industrial relations reform, finance, governance, environment, superannuation policy and campaigns, vocational education, workers compensation and work health and safety, and the ACTU’s youth and women’s committee.
During the Albanese government’s first term, the ACTU achieved several significant wins for workers through changes to federal industrial relations systems, and other acts. Work is well underway for further improvements during this second term of government. The ACTU is actively engaged in discussions on productivity and tax reform, defending
SCAN TO WATCH
industry super funds against unwarranted attacks, advocating for improvements to the superannuation system, and working to solidify the gains achieved during its first term.
Public Services International (PSI)
The NSWNMA’s affiliation with PSI remains strong.
With the re-election of the federal Labor government, PSI affiliates in Australia continue to monitor the Albanese government’s commitment to ratify International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 151. This convention protects the rights of public sector unions to engage in collective bargaining.
Australia’s status as a non-signatory has previously impeded efforts to lodge a complaint with the ILO over the former NSW Liberal-National government’s public sector wage policy and legislation. Following sustained lobbying from PSI affiliates, the federal government began work on ratifying the convention during its previous term.
Prior to a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Health Assembly (WHA) met to discuss areas of focus. PSI coordinated a global advocacy campaign, engaging national governments to prioritise workforce issues, the impact of labour migration, and the development of a global pandemic treaty.
The NSWNMA supported this effort by writing to relevant federal ministers. Responses confirmed that these priorities are supported by the Australian government. Ongoing engagement through PSI with the WHO will continue, including a planned forum of PSI-affiliated health unions in the second half of 2025.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the NSWNMA is collaborating with PSI on an ILO-funded research project that examines the effects of labour migration on the health sector and workforce in Pacific Island countries. This effort, which includes consultations with public sector unions across Oceania, aims to build evidence and strengthen the capacity of health sector unions to respond effectively. Delegates at Annual Conference 2024 will recall the topical and timely presentation by the Fiji Nursing Association.
A second major PSI project in the region, delivered in partnership with Education International, will focus on building union strength to improve quality public services across Pacific Island countries. This $700,000, 2.5-year program will begin with the recruitment of a PSI Project Coordinator, based in Fiji under a secondment arrangement with the Fiji Public Service Association. Initial focus countries include Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands.
The Asia Pacific Regional Congress’ (APRECON) meeting in Kathmandu, scheduled for September 2025, will see a delegation of NSWNMA officers in attendance. Their key topics for discussion include the impacts of climate change on public services, labour migration, workers’ rights, union organising, and more.
The Congress will also mark the end of the Assistant General Secretary’s term as Titular for Oceania.
The role will be handed over to the Secretary of the United Services Union. In recognition of the Assistant General Secretary’s contribution, the PSI global executive has invited the Acting General Secretary to join its Finance Working Group – the body providing strategic financial oversight and advice to PSI.
The NSWNMA’s Council has approved this appointment. The group meets quarterly via overnight online meetings to accommodate global time zones.
NEW SOUTH WALES NURSES AND MIDWIVES’ ASSOCIATION Summary of Financial Information for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
The financial statements of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association have been audited in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act 1991, and the following summary is provided for members in accordance with Section 517(2) of the Act, as applied by section 282(3) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1996
A copy of the Financial Statements, including the independent Audit Report, will be supplied free of charge to members upon request. Certificates required to be given under the Act by the Accounting Officer and the Committee of Management (“Council”) have been completed in accordance with the provisions of the Act and contain no qualifications.
Information to be provided to members or Registrar
In accordance with the requirements of the Industrial Relations Act, 1991 [NSW] the attention of members is drawn to the provisions of SubSections (1) and (2) of Section 512 which read as follows:
(1) A member of an organisation, or the Industrial Registrar, may apply to the organisation for specified information prescribed by the regulations in relation to the organisation.
(2) An organisation must, on the making of such an application, make the specified information available to the member or the Industrial Registrar in the manner, and within the time, prescribed by the regulations.
Report of the Independent Auditor on the Summary Financial Statements to the members of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association
Opinion
The summary financial statements, which comprise the summary balance sheet as at 31 December 2024 and the summary statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year then ended are derived from the audited financial report of New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association for the year ended 31 December 2024. In our opinion, the accompanying summary financial statements are a fair summary of the audited financial report.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
Remeasurement of retirement benefit obligations -Total
SUMMARY BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024
Summary Financial Statements
The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required by section 510 of the Industrial Relations Act 1991 [NSW] or Australian Accounting Standards. Reading the summary financial statements and the auditor’s report thereon, therefore, is not a substitute for reading the audited financial report and the auditor’s report thereon.
The Audited Financial Report and Our Report Thereon
We expressed an unmodified audit opinion on the audited financial report in our report dated 13 May 2025. Our Independent Auditor’s Report to the members on the Financial Report did not contain any particulars of any deficiency, failure or shortcoming as referred to in the Industrial Relations Act, 1991 [NSW], as applied by section 282(3) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1996
Council’s Responsibility for the Summary Financial Statements
The Council is responsible for the preparation of the summary financial statements.
Auditor’s Responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on whether the summary financial statements are a fair summary of the audited financial report based on our procedures, which were conducted in accordance with Auditing Standard ASA 810 Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements.
Daley Audit
Michael Mundt Partner 13 May 2025, Wollongong Liability limited by a Scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation
A copy of the Financial Report, including the Independent Audit Report, is available to members on the Member Central portal accessed via www.nswnma.asn.au. Members can obtain a hard copy by emailing the General Secretary, NSWNMA at gensec@nswnma.asn.au or calling 1300 367 962.
