   |
||
| Issue No 114 |  |
05 October 2001 |
|
|
|
NewsNurses Release Federal Policy Proposals
The Australian Nursing Federation's national executive today released its policy proposals for improving Australia's health care industry, aged care industry and industrial relations system. The full set of proposals can be viewed at the ANF's website: http://www.anf.org.au ANF federal secretary, Jill Iliffe, said health and aged care issues will be major features of the forthcoming federal election campaign and the ANF has developed a set of funding and workforce policies that will greatly improve the running of our health and aged care systems. "Australia's aged care industry is currently in crisis and a number of key issues need addressing by the Federal Government before Australians can again have full confidence in our nursing homes," Ms Iliffe said. "It is vital that minimum staffing levels are introduced and that nurses pay is improved, to at least be equal with the pay rates of nurses in public hospitals. Staffing is the key to providing quality care and pay and working conditions are the key to getting nursing staff to work and stay in the aged care sector. "Extra funding will be required to fix these problems. It will also be necessary to monitor that funding in some way, so that it does get spent on providing care. "Australia's public hospitals also require extra federal funding if the system is to be genuinely universal and people can actually get access to their services within a reasonable period. Every nurse who works in a public hospital and every person who has recently been a patient in a public hospital knows our public hospitals are doing it tough. "Not only do we need a fairer share of public monies spent on our public hospitals, but the Federal Government needs to address the serious nurse shortage confronting Australia if our public hospitals are to operate at their capacity. "Many funded public hospital services are closed or operating at reduced capacity because nursing staff can't be found to run them. "To-date the Howard Government has failed to fully accept the seriousness of the nurse shortage or that it has any responsibility to fix it. The ANF intends using the opportunity provided by the election campaign to get a proper national focus on the problem. "The current industrial relations system, introduced by the Howard Government, has eroded the structures protecting wages and working conditions for nurses, forcing them to take industrial action to achieve just outcomes. Nurses should be free to get on with nursing. They need an industrial relations system that allows them to get improved wages and conditions without conflict," Ms Iliffe said.
|
   Interview: Thinking SmartWith education a key priority, Labor's spokesman Michael Lee will emerge as a key player in the upcoming campaign. Unions: In the SpotlightThe Public Education Convention placed the spotlight firmly on the performance and prospects of our federal politicians. Campaign Diary: Election Form GuideSo they're off and racing in the 2001 stakes. Right now it's looking more like a handicap, but we're going along for the ride. Education: Applying the BlowtorchVeronica Apap reports on how teachers are planning to elevate education in the upcoming federal campaign. History: Australia�s OrwellStephen Holt argues that the life of Jim Maloney contained echoes of the literary legend's own political journey. International: Brazil Loses Child Labour Warrior The global trade union movement against child labour has lost one of their brightest forces to a brutal assassination. E-Change: 3.4 The New GovernanceIn the last instalment in their series on technological change, Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel look at the challenges politics has yet to meet. Satire: Qantas Denies New $7770 Domestic Fares 'Exploitative'Australia's largest domestic carrier Qantas has rejected suggestions that it's new $7770 fares between Sydney and Melbourne are taking advantage of the airline's recently inherited monopoly. Review: Dark Music for Dark SoulsThe term Industrial Music represents a wide variety and coalition of musical forms, Adam Lincoln explains.
Notice Board View entire latest issue
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
![[ Home ]](/images/nv_home.gif){kind=small} ![[ Notice Board ]](/images/nv_board.gif){kind=small} ![[ Search ]](/images/nv_search.gif){kind=small} ![[ Previous Issues ]](/images/nv_previous.gif){kind=small} ![[ Latest Issue ]](/images/nv_latest.gif){kind=small} |
|
|
|
|
© 1999-2000 Labor Council of NSW LaborNET is a resource for the labour movement provided by the Labor Council of NSW URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/114/news6_nurses.htmlLast Modified: 15 Nov 2005 [ Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Credits ] LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW |
|
![[Workers Online]](/images/logo_small.gif){kind=logo}
![[Social Change Online]](/images/sco_logo.gif){kind=logo}