Support your nurses and midwives
Retain. Recruit. Rebuild.
A message from Victorian nurses and midwives
Victorian nurses and midwives save lives.
We are there when you are born, when you are having a baby, when you are sick, when you’re in an accident and when you are dying.
We’ve been there for you always, mostly recently during the first five years of COVID and we’re now under serious pressure due to workforce issues.
But it’s not what you're thinking. Nurses and midwives have not 'left in droves'. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia statistics show the number of Victorian nurses and midwives increased by about 16,000 net over the last five years.
What’s happened is that our employers cannot fill all the shifts on the roster. Nurses and midwives are so exhausted and stressed by the constant overtime and requests on our days off to work extra shifts.
We’re moving from permanent to casual so we can control our shifts and our working lives.
We are seeking a fair pay rise that values our work and addresses gender equity, the cost of living, and interstate/territory competitiveness.
We haven’t specified a percentage increase because we’re also seeking allowances that reward working additional permanent hours and unpopular shifts and penalise employers who rely on redeployment, excessive overtime and missed meal breaks to fill roster gaps.
We take protected industrial action as a last resort. Patient health, safety or welfare will not be at risk. There will be some inconvenience and for this we are sorry.
As a member of the Victorian community, please support us by calling on the Victorian Government to ensure we can retain, recruit and rebuild our wonderful nursing and midwifery workforce.
Thank you for your support, so we can continue to care for you.
Victorian public sector nurses and midwives
- Download this message in a ‘Dear patient letter’ format (English)
- Download this message in a ‘Dear patient letter’ format (Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Punjabi, Sinhalese, Urdu and Vietnamese.)
Contact the media
Contact talkback radio
Call regional talkback radio
You may also have a local commercial radio station that takes talkback calls
ABC Ballarat call 1300 303 468
ABC Central Victoria call 1300 813 911
ABC Gippsland call 1300 295 222
ABC Goulburn Murray 1300 147 222
ABC Shepparton 1300 977 222
ABC Mildura-Swan Hill call 1300 043 222
ABC South West Victoria call 1300 001 602
ABC Wimmera call 1300 594 222
Write a letter to the editor
You could also write to your local regional or suburban paper (if you’re lucky enough to still have one).
Contact the Premier, the Health Minister and the Treasurer
Post: PO Box 399 Bendigo VIC 3550
E: jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au
P: 03 5443 2144
Facebook: @JacintaAllanBendigoEast
Instagram: @jacintaallanmp
X: @JacintaAllanMP
Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Health; Minister for Ambulance Services
Address: Shop 14, Nexus Centre, 9 Goode Street,
Gisborne VIC 3437
Postal: PO Box 39 Gisborne VIC 3437
P: 03 5428 2138
E: mary-anne.thomas@parliament.vic.gov.au
Facebook: @MaryAnneMacedon
Instagram: @maryannethomasmp
X: @MaryAnneThomas
Address: Shop 2, 56-58 Watton Street, Werribee VIC 3030
P: 03 9741 1133
E: tim.pallas@parliament.vic.gov.au
Facebook: @TimPallasMP
Instagram: @timpallasmp
X: @timpallas
Support nurses and midwives on social media
Please show your support for Victorian nurses and midwives by sharing ANMF’s campaign posts on social media, calling talkback radio, writing letters to the newspapers and contacting politicians.
Talk about what the Victorian public health system means to you and your expectation that employers and the government must address the workforce issues with initiatives that will retain experienced and early career nurses and midwives, recruit additional nurses and midwives and rebuild a permanent workforce.
ANMF (Vic Branch) social media
Use hashtags:
#retainrecruitrebuild
#inourebaera
#nmeba2024
#fairpay
#nurserecruitment
#nurseretention
#midwiferecruitment
#midwiferention
#proudtobeunion
Don't forget to tag the Premier, Health Minister and Treasurer. See handles above.
Authorised L. Fitzpatrick, Secretary, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation, 535 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000. © Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) 2024