This federal election use your vote for nursing and midwifery
Published: 13 August 2010
It’s going to be a race to the finish for our major political parties with less than a week to go in the 2010 federal election campaign.
Recent polls show it’s neck and neck between the Liberal/National Coalition and the ALP, particularly in Queensland, where many punters say the election will be won or lost.
Needless to say, your vote will be critical in determining who leads Australia for the next three years, and which commitments will be funded and implemented.
With an increasing shortage of nurses and midwives across our health system we need a government who is committed to action on health issues. In July we launched a series of federal election television advertisements to inform the public of these ongoing shortages throughout Australia. We asked the public to vote for more nurses and midwives and therefore for better health for patients and residents this federal election.
Now, I am asking you to do the same.
On page 18 of this journal you will find a broad comparison of the major political parties’ policies around issues that affect you as a nurse or midwife, and as a member of the Australian community.
We have also developed a series of brochures which have been delivered to members living in key marginal electorates where every single vote will count. These brochures include responses from local federal candidates about the commitments they are prepared to make to address some of the critical issues affecting aged care.
Both the journal comparison and the marginal electorate brochures have been developed to inform your vote this federal election. From these sources of information it is clear which political party is most committed to nurses and midwives and Australian workers.
For nearly three years in the lead-up to the 2007 federal election we campaigned to protect the rights of Australian workers against the Howard government’s draconian WorkChoices legislation. This was a passionate campaign by workers, including nurses and midwives, who lost many hard fought entitlements, including our most basic workplace rights.
Almost weekly we’d hear of workers who had been sacked without reason, or who had lost overtime or penalty rates they relied on to keep their heads above water. Nurses and midwives were not immune to worst excesses of WorkChoices either, with non-union agreements negotiated under that legislationdelivering lower rates of pay.
While Tony Abbott says he won’t change the more balanced Fair Work Act to bring back WorkChoices, he cannot be trusted—his promise changes from one day to the next.
According to the ACTU there are more than 190 ways Tony Abbott can bring back WorkChoices without changing our current industrial relations legislation. Unfair dismissal laws, minimum employment standards and redundancy pay— our basic workplace protections —are all at risk under a Coalition government. Whatever the name, we can never go back to any industrial relations legislation which resembles WorkChoices.
In the lead-up to this 2010 federal election we have been actively campaigning for more nurses and midwives across the health system and for much needed change to aged care.
Again, our political party comparison paints a very clear picture about who is best for our profession and the health of our nation.
As Health Minister, Tony Abbott left Australia with a critical shortage of nurses, while the current Labor government has significantly increased funding for nurses and midwives.
In May, the Labor government also announced a $132 million aged care workforce package, which includes a decisive commitment to address a key Because We Care campaign objective of boosting skills in the sector.
There is much more we’d like to achieve for nurses and midwives and we need a government in place who is willing to work with, not against us. This federal election I urge you to use your vote for the political party who is committed and prepared to act for nursing and midwifery as well as all Australian workers.
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