ANF leadership endorsed for four year term

Published: 16 December 2010

Lee Thomas will hold the position of Australian’s Nursing Federation’s federal secretary for the next four years after today being elected unopposed.

Ms Thomas said, “It is an honour to represent Australian nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing. I am humbled and inspired by the support this endorsement signals,” Ms Thomas said.

“The ANF’s vision for change in aged care, achieving MBS rebates and PBS subsidies for nurse practitioners and strong leadership in the debate over national healthcare reform, has resonated with our members,” she said.

Also elected unopposed are ANF Assistant Federal Secretary Yvonne Chaperon, ANF President Coral Levitt and ANF Federal Vice President Paul Nieuwenhoven.

ANF will now pursue its agenda of improving the lives of its members while also lobbying to reform the health sector. This includes ramping up the aged care campaign ‘Because We Care’, lobbying all MP’s and Senators about the need for healthcare delivery to be equitable and fair, including the needs of indigenous and rural Australians.

Ms Thomas said, “We are at a crucial point in the health care debate in Australia, and we will monitor the federal government’s reform agenda and fight any move that could potentially harm Australia’s largest health workforce, nurses, midwives and AINs. We also want to make sure that quality of health delivery is at the forefront of any changes, including a focus on patient to staff ratios in hospitals and in nursing homes.”

Social justice is another area of interest, particularly homelessness and access to health care for all people no matter where they live or what they earn.

The ANF has achieved significant membership growth in the past 12 months, with the latest count at 198,600 in December 2010.

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