Maddy Harradence, Branch Secretary
ANMF (Vic Branch) is aware of a serious incident that occurred at University Hospital Geelong on Friday 29 May 2026 involving the assault of two midwives going to their cars after finishing their PM shift. The midwives were going to their cars together due to existing safety concerns and as per their employer’s directive.
The Branch and our members are deeply upset and angry at this incident. But frustratingly, we know there have been further incidents since this one.
We continue to raise safety concerns with Barwon Health – including the lack of available security escorts for staff at night, the cessation of the volunteer safety bus service that dropped off nurses and midwives to their cars following an evening shift, a lack of car spaces close to the hospital and the need to undertake appropriate risk assessments and liaise with Victoria Police as needed.
Addressing these concerns is critical to ensuring the safety of our members and all Barwon employees. On 11 June, ANMF is holding a Safety Forum for members on site at Barwon, to hear directly about the issues, explore solutions and develop a clear plan moving forward.
We have also escalated the incident to WorkSafe to investigate, to the Department of Health and the Minister for Health’s office, and will continue to raise these safety concerns through all possible avenues.
This incident made the news but it’s barely even the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We know that occupational violence and aggression (OVA) is hugely under-reported so we can only estimate the true scale of the issue.
We know that nurses, midwives and carers are kicked, bitten, hit with objects, punched and spat on. Verbal threats, abuse and disparaging remarks result in cumulative psychological impact from exposure on every shift. Some nurses and midwives never return to work after these incidents. OVA can ruin lives.
Reports from members show increasing psychological harm, burnout and withdrawal from frontline roles due to repeated exposure to OVA and a lack of systemic response to this issue.
And whilst we know that other industries are also reporting increasing levels of violence and aggression, OVA is never acceptable, and some employers approach it better than others.
Addressing violence and aggression against nurses, midwives and carers is an ANMF priority. As an insidious issue, it needs a system-wide response. Violence in hospitals must be taken as seriously as factory accidents in manufacturing. That’s why ANMF says health should be made a ‘regulated industry’ under the OHS Act like the male-dominated mining and construction industries – then we would expect to see prosecutions against hospitals and aged care services for failing to protect their nurses and midwives.
ANMF is also updating our 10 point plan to end violence and aggression. Every hospital CEO also has a copy of this plan (or has easy access to it), which provides practical evidence-based steps for a cultural and organisational response to prevent violence and aggression.
We also welcome the ongoing funding announced in the recent State Budget for additional health specific workplace inspectors and the establishment of a dedicated healthcare enforcement compliance unit in WorkSafe. ANMF lobbied for this resourcing, and what we understand be more comprehensive and improved inspections, and more healthcare employers being held accountable where they fail to implement actions that keep their workers, and our members, safe.
It’s also critical that members continue reporting any concerns to their employer and to the ANMF (Vic Branch). If we don’t know what’s happening, we can’t address it.
Congratulations newly elected members of the First Peoples’ Assembly
Congratulations to the newly elected members of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria/Gellung Warl and the elected co-chairs Meriki Onus and Djaran Murray-Jackson. We are pleased to advise that Meriki will be presenting at this year’s Delegates Conference.
The 2026 elections, held March and April, were the first to be held after the Assembly negotiated Australia’s first Treaty. Gellung Warl is a new body established by Treaty to lead decisions about First Peoples, continue truth-telling and healing and hold government to account.
ANMF is committed to supporting the work of Gellung Warl because as nurses, midwives and carers we know that when you listen to the people most impacted, you achieve better health outcomes. This will mean real change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, residents and clients and those who are nurses, midwives and carers.
