I am a proud Victorian by choice. I moved here from NSW because of our state’s nation-leading ratios. Of course our state isn’t perfect – show me one that is – but Victoria has an enviable track record of forging the way when it comes to many issues that matter to nurses, midwives and carers.
We showed this again when, on 30 October, a bill to ban non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in workplace sexual harassment cases passed Victoria’s lower house.
It sounds dry but this is a groundbreaking achievement for women’s workplace safety, fought for by working women and their unions.
NDAs are meant to protect trade secrets but they have become an all-too-common part of settling workplace sexual harassment complaints. Research in 2024 revealed that around three quarters of such settlements now include an NDA. Victim-survivors often feel they have no choice but to sign. This not only silences them, it protects the perpetrator.
When enacted, the Restricting Non-disclosure Agreements (Sexual Harassment at Work) Bill 2025 will be an Australian first.
Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws were also an Australian first. However, since their introduction in 2017 our laws have fallen behind the rest of Australia. The Allan government’s amending Bill passed in the lower house on 29 October after considerable discussion into the night. Members of the Legislative Assembly (the lower house of the Victorian Parliament) are to be congratulated for listening to nurses, patients, family members and carers and voting to update our VAD laws.
The amendments remove the gag clause that prevented healthcare professionals, including nurses, from raising a legitimate care option with their terminally ill patients.
They also require health practitioners who conscientiously object to provide minimum information; extend the prognosis requirement from six months to 12 months; introduce a new administering practitioner role to expand the workforce able to support VAD; and ensure that people with neurodegenerative diseases like motor neurone disease will no longer need a third prognosis if their expected lifespan is between six and 12 months.
The amendments go a long way towards making access to VAD in Victoria more equitable.
Speaking of equity, the end of October also saw another nation-leading Victorian achievement, when our state became the first in Australia to enact Treaty with Aboriginal peoples.
I’m reminded of the oft-missed distinction between equity and equality.
Equality is a one-size-fits-all approach that gives everyone the same resources or opportunities, which sounds great but in practice often leaves many at a disadvantage. Equity is about giving everyone the resources or opportunities they need to achieve the same outcome. To level the playing field.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are among the most disadvantaged in our country, and this is reflected in their health outcomes. Despite decades of trying to change this picture, nothing we have done as a nation has worked. We all know the saying about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Treaty is about taking a different approach, in pursuit of a different outcome, with Aboriginal peoples making decisions about their communities, who they know best. Let’s take the time to listen.
Thank you
I want to say thank you.
The recent ANMF (Vic Branch) leadership and council election was a critical moment in our union’s history, and a vital chance to build on decades of strong, stable, visionary leadership with a new vision – born of experience, skill and determination – to protect our professions and progress the working lives of nurses, midwives and carers.
Nicole Allan, Sam Casey and myself – and our team of accomplished, representative Branch Councillors – are deeply humbled to be entrusted with this extraordinary opportunity to lead the Branch, and with your vote of confidence to carry our professions and our union forward.
Lastly, a quick reminder about two important surveys we have recently released. The first is ANMF’s national aged care survey to help guide and inform our upcoming campaign to review or ‘pulse check’ the aged care industry and working conditions for our members in the wake of the Aged Care Royal Commission. I will have more to say about this important campaign in the coming months. The second survey is seeking your help in shaping more inclusive healthcare for autistic people and their families.