Casey Moore. Photo: supplied
Casey Moore is a registered nurse because she was determined to become a midwife.
‘I had a wonderful student midwife who supported me through my last pregnancy,’ she explains. ‘I was a single mum with a toddler and she was the support I needed during that time. She advocated for me and supported me when no one else was.’
Casey’s midwife inspired her. She applied for a direct entry degree, as well as a double degree. She didn’t get into either.
Rather than give up on her dream, in 2018 Casey applied for, and got into, a nursing degree. Despite the challenges of studying and doing her placements during lockdowns, she graduated in 2020 and began working at Ballarat Base Hospital the following year.
Finding her passion
In 2022, at the beginning of her second year of grad rotations, Casey was placed in the special care nursery. She immediately fell in love with the work, and – after completing a graduate certificate in neonatal care – now ‘cannot imagine being anywhere else. It’s just so special looking after the tiniest of patients and their families.’
Casey has remained in the special care nursery since that rotation. In 2024, an ANMF Job Rep colleague noted Casey’s interest in the EBA bargaining process (she was constantly asking questions and reading the EBA in her spare time), and suggested she too become a Job Rep.
She didn’t have to be asked twice. ‘I love being a Job Rep, because I love advocating for my colleagues to ensure they get their entitlements and use the EBA to its full potential,’ she says. ‘Previous reps and members have fought for these entitlements and to see health services not implementing them correctly grinds my gears.’
Casey attended her first ANMF delegates conference in 2025, learning everything she could ‘about the processes for motions and EBA bargaining’. She immediately put this knowledge to good use in preparation for submitting six motions for debate at the 2026 conference.
Improving the professions
‘I was involved in holding members’ meetings in the lead up to Dels and got to understand how to write a motion. This enabled me to confidently present motions this year, after I had members come to me about ideas they had.’
Of the six motions Casey submitted, one – to change all instances in the EBA of the word ‘miscarriage’ to ‘pregnancy loss’ – was taken as read prior to the conference due to being a change already accepted by the Branch.
Three were similar enough to other submitted motions as to be effectively rolled into those, with Casey becoming the seconder for one.
Two were put up for debate at the conference. ‘I stood in front of nearly 800 people and presented two motions in this year’s Dels Conference,’ Casey says.
The first was for designated preterm birth leave to support nurses, midwives and carers who end up with a baby in the NICU or SCN for an extended period due to preterm birth. The second was for designated leave for pregnancy loss.
Both passed, and are now resolutions.
Explaining her rationale behind bringing these motions, Casey says ‘Members shouldn’t have to be in hospital at the bedside of their babies using up all of their standard parental leave … or worry[ing] about returning to work shortly after being discharged because their standard parental leave wasn’t enough.’
Similarly, pregnancy loss ‘should be a special leave entitlement of its own, and personal leave shouldn’t be used up for it. It is a special bereavement leave where we should be supporting our nurses, midwives and carers in their journey to parenthood.’
Casey notes with pride that after the debate, other delegates approached her to congratulate her on these motions. Some shared their own stories of having had babies in the NICU years ago and ‘how this entitlement would have changed their journey and enabled them to stay home longer with their sick and preterm babies’.
Solidarity for the win
But Casey wasn’t about to rest on her laurels. Not long after the conference, she realised that she and her fellow Job Reps had achieved 100 per cent ANMF membership in the SCN – for the second time!
She let the Branch know, and the SCN now has a $620 (31 members x $20 per member) bonus to spend as they wish. ‘We have yet to decide as a collective how to spend the money,’ she says, ‘but likely will put it some towards a celebration dinner/party or food for those who are on the ward. We are also discussing whether there is an item of use that we could buy to use on the ward for staff.’
Beyond the financial bonus – itself the result of a Delegates Conference motion back in 1997 – the benefits of achieving 100 per membership are clear to Casey: ‘Achieving 100 per cent membership tells me that we are creating a workplace where people understand the value of having a collective voice,’ she says.
‘Our team represents solidarity and a commitment to looking out for each other and standing up for our profession. As a Job Rep, I’m proud that we’ve been able to build that sense of unity within our team. It shows that people trust the ANMF to advocate for them.
‘To me, the ANMF means knowing that we are not standing alone,’ she adds. ‘Being a nurse can be incredibly rewarding but it can also be challenging, and I think having a strong union behind us is so important, making sure nurses, midwives and carers are treated fairly, respected and have someone in their corner when things aren’t right.
‘Becoming a Job Rep has made that even more meaningful for me. I’ve realised that sometimes people just need someone to listen, to help them understand their rights, or to have the confidence to speak up alongside them. I really value being that person for my colleagues. The ANMF gives us that confidence, knowledge and support to do that.’
Casey says she is so proud to be a member of the biggest union in Australia. ‘I’ve learnt about the power of the collective voice but also how a single thought or idea can become a job entitlement,’ she says.
