Public sector nurses and midwives in New South Wales call for a 15% pay increase, plus superannuation, for all nurses and midwives from 1 July 2024, got a pledge this week from our newest local leader.
Northern Tablelands MP Brendan Moylan has put his full support behind nurses in his region, backing their push for fairer and more appropriate salaries particularly in line with other states.
Mr Moylan met with President Emma Ratajczyk and Secretary Warren Issac of the Armidale Branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association this week.
“Nurses are the backbone of our health system and without them, hospitals would grind to a complete halt,” Mr Moylan said.
“I am standing 100 percent behind our nurses in their effort to push for better pay.
“Nurses are highly trained and highly skilled individuals and yet the average salary of first-year nurses is approximately $70,000 which is lower than ‘stop-go’ workers in NSW.
“What’s worse is that nurses in Queensland are paid 18 percent more than NSW, which is why many, particularly in our border communities, relocate for a salary boost.
“We need to make the nursing profession attractive again and bring in skilled professionals into our region.
“Without appropriate renumeration, this is simply not going to happen.
“Everyone values our nurses and that is why I am standing behind their push for fairer and more appropriate salaries, so that we can attract them and keep them.”
Mr Moylan said it has become apparent that all the problems with healthcare in regional NSW come back to chronic staffing shortages.
“Whether it be our police, our firefighters, our nurses or doctors, it is evident we have a very clear issue with staffing shortages right across the Northern Tablelands,” he said.
“We need to make our region attractive for highly trained and highly skilled individuals.
“For our nurses, one such way is to boost their pay to ensure they receive fair and appropriate salaries, in line with other states and territories.”
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