ANMF (Vic Branch) welcomes the appointment of Harriet Shing as the Minister for Health.
‘We look forward to working with the Victorian Government and Minister Shing as we continue to fight to improve the working lives of Victoria’s nurses, midwives and carers,’ said ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Maddy Harradence.
‘These priorities include urgent action on occupational violence and aggression, prioritising nurse- and midwife-led models of care, addressing cost-of-living pressures for our members, expansion of nurse and midwife patient ratios through enacting the hospital classification review, and funding additional nursing and midwifery graduate positions for the 2025 cohort.’
Hospital classifications guide minimum nursing and midwifery ratios and ANMF members have called for a transparent and evidence-based review of methodology to determine the classification of hospital levels. ANMF welcomed the agreement-in-principle from the Victorian Government regarding the methodology, but the implementation process must be finalised to ensure safe nursing/midwifery staffing levels across Victorian hospitals, especially in growth corridors and Regional Victoria.
ANMF continues to hear from 2025 graduate nurses and midwives who did not receive a graduate program in 2026. Whilst a small number of additional places opened up at the end of the year, this has not sufficiently addressed the issue. ANMF is calling for an expanded 2026 mid-year intake and commitments around a Graduate taskforce that will provide clear recommendations around initiatives to support future nursing and midwifery graduates.
ANMF also welcomes the appointment of the new Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer Emma Saddington and congratulates Karrie Long, outgoing Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer, on her contribution to the Victorian nursing and midwifery community.
ANMF would also like to take this opportunity to wish former Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas well. ANMF worked with Minister Thomas on significant reforms including expanded nurse and midwife ratios and the 2024 EBA outcome for public sector nurses and midwives that provided a compounded 28.4 per cent wage increase over the life of the agreement. In addition, it is important to recognise Minister Thomas’ staunch advocacy for women’s healthcare. This includes the establishment of 20 women’s health clinics and virtual and mobile services and a dedicated Aboriginal women’s health clinic; the women’s pain inquiry and expanded access to contraception and abortion care; and the first-of-its-kind Maternity Taskforce. Her strong advocacy for equitable healthcare for regional Victoria should be acknowledged.
‘ANMF members and the Victorian community have benefited from Minister Thomas’ dedication to improving the Victorian health system,’ Ms Harradence said.
