28 September 2007
Mind blowing political hypocrisy from Joe Hockey 
The move yesterday by Joe Hockey to change the WorkChoices regulations to allow the Western Australian Branch of the Australian Nursing Federation to apply for registration to operate in the federal jurisdiction is a clear example of the political hypocrisy of the current Federal Government.
The ANF WA Branch is also a state registered union, the ANF Industrial Union of Workers Perth (ANFIUWP). One of the main objectives of the WorkChoices legislation according to the Howard Government was to get rid of state unions. State unions were to be phased out over 3 years.
“I imagine Joe Hockey couldn’t believe his luck when the ANFIUWP wrote to him,” Jill Iliffe ANF federal secretary said.
“Because the ANFIUWP chose not to support the ACTU anti-WorkChoices campaign, their approach to Joe Hockey for federal registration was processed with unseemly haste. John Howard and Joe Hockey are so blinded by their hatred of unions they are prepared to undermine one of the central principles of their own legislation,” Ms Iliffe said.
“Not that this surprises me,” Ms Iliffe added. “I have stopped expecting integrity from the Howard government. Despite that, the political cynicism demonstrated by Joe Hockey is mind blowing.”
ANF Branches, including the ANF WA branch, already operate in the federal sphere under delegated authority from the Federal ANF. Four of the ANF Branches are also state unions: NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
“It would be interesting to see how Joe Hockey responded if another of the ANF Branches, which is also a state union, made a similar approach,” Jill Iliffe said. “I don’t think there is too much doubt about the answer they would receive, if they received an answer at all.”
24 September 2007
Good try Mr Hockey: the ANF reaffirms its opposition To WorkChoices
The ANF claimed today that Joe Hockey should be the last person to talk about misleading political campaigns.
“Mr Hockey is clutching at very thin straws if he thinks the opposition of one branch, which makes up less than 10% of the membership of a national union, has any significance when it comes to the strength of union opposition, led by the ACTU, to the WorkChoices legislation”, Jill Iliffe, national secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation, said today.
“Mr Hockey knows well that the ANF, which represents over 150,000 nurses nationally, is not affiliated to any political party and judges issues on their merit”, Ms Iliffe said.
“Nurses however have never been afraid to be politically active when the need arises; whether that be quality nursing care; standards, education, aged care, occupational health and safety, staffing levels, working conditions or remuneration. Nurses follow the tradition of one of the greatest political activists of all time, Florence Nightingale.
“The ANF is affiliated with the ACTU, which is the umbrella organisation for trade unions. The ANF national executive (of which the ANF WA Branch is a member) took the decision to support the ACTU campaign opposing the WorkChoices legislation.
“However the ANF, as a federation of independent State and Territory Branches, is also a democratic organisation in that State and Territory Branches determine whether they will or will not be involved in particular national campaigns. All the ANF Branches, apart from the WA Branch, are wholeheartedly behind the ACTU campaign to oppose WorkChoices. While the ANF would have liked their WA Branch to support the campaign also, the Branch has the democratic right not to be involved if that is their choice and that choice is respected.
“Let me make it very clear”, Ms Iliffe said, “the ANF is opposed to the WorkChoices legislation. The legislation is harsh and unfair; it puts the balance of power in the workplace with employers; and it contravenes international industrial relations conventions. WorkChoices has already had negative effects on nurses’ working conditions and remuneration, particularly in the aged care sector, but ultimately, all nurses are at risk. And without decent working conditions and remuneration for nurses, the wellbeing of the Australian community is also at risk.
“If Mr Hockey wants the union movement to stop campaigning against WorkChoices, then all he has to do is convince John Howard to repeal it”.
14 September 2007
ANF rejects Howard’s hospital based training plan
The ANF today rejected John Howard’s ill-conceived proposal to return to hospital based training for nurses when more than 30,000 registered nurses (AIHW 2006) around Australia refuse to work in the profession because of poor wages and working conditions.
ANF assistant federal secretary Ged (Gerardine) Kearney said the proposal reflected a “worn out government” that is out of touch with the real needs of the Australian health system.
“It is old time thinking. Mr Howard should ask himself and tell the community why we have over 10% of the nursing workforce (30,000 nurses) who remain registered as nurses but refuse to work in a system that has been run down and fails to provide decent wages and working conditions. An immediate solution to the nursing shortage in this country would be to attract even half of those nurses back into the system by providing decent jobs, wages and working conditions.”
Ms Kearney said nursing training moved to the tertiary sector over 20 years ago because of careful consideration of the educational needs of the nursing profession and was supported by government, industry and nurses.
“Nurses are responsible on a daily basis for caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community who are often critically ill and this requires nurses who can deliver the highest quality of care. Research shows university training of nurses has increased the quality of patient care.”
The ANF today launched a series of advertisements to highlight the appalling working conditions in aged care which have occurred as a direct result of the Howard government’s industrial relations policies.
“These ads highlight the lack of decent jobs in the field of nursing which cares for older Australian’s. John Howard should turn his mind to resolving the serious problems affecting the aged care industry. WorkChoices will drive even more nurses from the profession. Improving nurses’ wages and conditions and increasing the number of undergraduate nursing places is what the health system really needs, Ms Kearney said.
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