New politics. Business as usual for QNU.

Published: 4 October 2010

September marked a new era in Australian politics. A minority Labor government was established with the support of three Independents and a Green MP, Julia Gillard was sworn in as our first elected female Prime Minister, and now nothing is as it used to be.

This is relatively uncharted territory in Australian politics and will be a challenge for all who form part of the political equation.

It will be a challenge for Julia Gillard, who must work hard publically and behind the scenes to appease the four MPs backing her delicate new-look government. The Coalition, under the leadership of Tony Abbott, will be looking to destabilise this new government at every opportunity, while the media will be ready to pounce at the slightest hint of a fracture in the current arrangements.

For unions this upheaval of our political system and the ongoing fragility of the new minority government has forced us to again look at the way we do politics in this country. The QNU, as part of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF), has been very proactive in this sphere. The ANF federal executive, including myself, met earlier this month to map our way forward in this new political environment.

Many years ago the ALP emerged as the political arm of the labour movement. Even now unions continue to be an important support for the Labor party. But the QNU and the ANF some time ago acknowledged that times have moved on—interests frequently are not shared and a new mature political relationship must recognise this.

Our national Because We Care aged care campaign, which we launched in March 2009, is testament to the independent but powerful political campaigning organisation we are. For more than a year and a half we have actively lobbied all sides of politics to commit to improving many critical issues in the aged care industry. We have used the support garnered during this campaign to successfully pressure the federal government to make a number of significant funding and policy commitments around the key objectives we identified. During the recent federal election campaign the Labor government stated that aged care would be a second term priority and we will actively campaign to ensure this issue remains at the top of their agenda.

Similarly, reforming our health system should be a big ticket item for the new government and we will be active in ensuring nurses and midwives are well represented during this process.

As a union we have a our own vision and values, some of which differ from those of our country’s political parties. We exist to promote and defend the values and interests of QNU members; be they political, industrial, professional, social or democratic. Politically we campaign without fear or favour for change which best enables us to meet our objectives.

At its February 2010 meeting, QNU Council determined that our Union will no longer affiliate to the Labor Party from 2011. The Council’s decision was then, in accordance with QNU rules and processes, reported to delegates at the QNU’s Annual Conference in July.

Having been affiliated with the Labor Party since 1994, the QNU Council was acutely aware the relationship between our Union and Labor sometimes creates confusion among members. This is especially so during times of actual or potential conflict with Labor governments, such as during negotiations over wages and conditions. The Council’s decision has nothing to do with any particular issue, event or person and significantly, it actually pre-dated the start of the payroll debacle at Queensland Health.

The Council’s determination does not mean the QNU will cease to be involved in political and public policy processes as we are now. In fact, it will be business as usual for the QNU but with new opportunities to approach the way we engage with governments and political entities. Our priorities and agendas won’t change because our arrangements with the Labor Party have. We will continue to advocate for and represent your interests at every opportunity through all political avenues available to us.

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