Bringing about change
Published: 5 October 2009
Late last month I had the pleasure of attending my first Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Federal Council meeting.
Presidents from each of the state nursing union branches once a year attend Federal Council to hear about the significant issues affecting us nationally.
The day before the two-day Council meeting, Federal Secretary Ged Kearney spoke to the National Press Club about our Because We Care aged care campaign. I was lucky enough to be in the audience for Ged’s presentation.
I’m sure that those who also watched the presentation live on television were as impressed as I was with Ged’s passion for the campaign and her ability to communicate our key concerns. It obviously hit the spot with the audience of journalists, policy makers and political figures who offered an extended round of applause at the end of Ged’s session, which I’m told very rarely occurs.
Following the presentation Ged and several of the branch Secretaries, including the QNU’s Gay Hawksworth, met separately with politicians at Parliament House to talk further about the campaign.
The Press Club event and the subsequent meetings with politicians are great examples of the hard work our union is doing to maximise our influence in political processes.
There are many other meetings and events like this that the QNU undertakes every week to further our political objectives.
Federal Council gives the QNU a forum to feedback all the important work we’re doing in Queensland, and similarly for other state branches. Council enables the branches to share ideas, brainstorm, provide support and advice, and establish a consistent position on issues.
At the Council meeting I attended we discussed a number of important issues and heard from some expert speakers.
We heard from Peter Carver, Executive Director of the National Health Workforce Taskforce. He talked about where funding has been allocated by Health Workforce Australia for clinical training and education. We will monitor this work to ensure nurses’ and midwives’ interests are met.
Nick Blake, ANF Senior Federal Industrial Officer, gave an update on the award modernisation process. QNU Secretary Gay Hawksworth shared her concerns about the transitional arrangements for nurses, particularly in aged care (see her editorial for more).
Professor Jim Bishop, Chief Medical Officer, provided an update on the H1N1 pandemic and the ANF shared our concerns around the use of multi-dose vials for vaccination.
We also talked about how we can maximise opportunities presented under the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for health professions and new access for independent midwives and nurse practitioners to the PBS and MBS.
Most importantly, we allocated considerable time to develop future strategies around our Because We Care aged care campaign. As Ged said during her Press Club address, the aged care campaign is our number one priority.
Together we are one of the largest unions in Australia. We’re also the largest professional nursing and midwifery organisation in the country. I know first hand the differences we can make as a collective in our workplaces —just imagine what we can achieve with the combined strength of all of our branches, and all members, working together!
I’m prepared to do my bit to make this campaign a success—how about you?
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Work it. Claim it. Stop donating your services!