Working in border districts
Nurses working in both Queensland and another state are sometimes uncertain which nursing union branch they should be a member of.
The QNU is a state branch of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) along with every other state in Australia.
Some simple tips for nurses:
- A nurse working either side of a state border should take out full-time membership within the state where they are employed for the majority of the time (primary state).
- The ANF Branch where the nurse has primary membership should forward a copy of the membership to the other state (secondary state) with a request to be recognised and provided with service as required.
Members should note:
- Voting rights are retained in the primary state only
- Industrial or professional services or advice provided by the secondary state would be done in consultation with the primary state or branch where relevant
- Should any extraordinary costs occur (e.g. legal expenses), these would be shared between the relevant branches or as otherwise arranged between them
- Members requiring assistance should, in the first instance, contact the ANF branch in the State or Territory where the issue or problem arises
ANF state branches
- Queensland: Queensland Nurses' Union
- NSW: NSW Nurses' Association
- ACT: ANF ACT
- Victoria: ANF Victoria
- Tasmania: ANF Tasmania
- South Australia: ANF South Australia
- Northern Territory: ANF Northern Territory
- Western Australia: ANF Western Australia
IMPORTANT: Professional indemnity insurance for border nurses
- Nurses whose primary membership does not lie in Queensland (ie where Queensland is the secondary state) are not covered by professional indemnity insurance while working in Queensland.
- If the nurse needs professional indemnity insurance while working in Queensland they are able to pay a reduced 'professional indemnity only' rate of membership to the QNU so they are recorded as a financial member. Please contact the membership section for more information.
Scenario - Professional indemnity insurance A nurse who works the majority of the time in NSW and is a member of NSWNA but ‘recognised’ by the QNU because of the Border Agreement does not mean they are covered by professional indemnity insurance for any incident that occurs in Queensland. To be covered by professional indemnity insurance while working in Queensland the nurse is required to pay the QNU a reduced 'professional indemnity only' rate of membership so that they are recorded as a financial member. |
