ANF (Vic Branch) is Victoria’s peak nursing industrial and professional body representing more than 48,000 members
540 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne phone 03 9275 9333 fax 03 9275 9344 email rasbury@anfvic.asn.au www.anfvic.asn.au
Media inquiries: ANF Media Officer Robyn Asbury 03 9275 9333 or 0417 523 252
Media Release
Attention: news, health,
aged care, politics
Monday 30 November 2009
Victorian nurses union welcomes aged care employer group’s support for higher nurse wages, but
minimum ratios and funding accountability are also the keys to a better aged care system
The Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) has welcomed the Aged and Community Care Victoria’s support
for increased Federal Government funding to increase nurses’ and carers’ wages, but this must be part of a strategy
that includes mandated minimum nursing levels and expenditure accountability.
Responding to an Aged and Community Care Victoria statement today, Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian
Branch) Assistant Secretary Paul Gilbert said: “Previous aged care funding increases have not stopped a decrease in
the number of aged care registered nurses, or increased nurses’ wages or improved the quality of resident care.
“The Federal Government must ensure that any additional aged care funding is tied to nurses’ wages and mandated
minimum nurse to resident ratios,” Mr Gilbert said.
“The 2004/05 Federal Budget provided an additional $877.8 million specifically to increase nurses’ wages but during
our enterprise bargaining negotiations that year with 600 Victorian aged care employers not one said the extra millions
had changed their inability to pay nurses a wage increase,” Ms Gilbert said.
“In May 2005 a major industrial negotiator, representing a number of aged care employers, wrote to ANF quoting
Aged Care Association Victoria’s advice that the additional millions was ‘catch up funding' and there was no formal
requirement from the Department of Health and Ageing to use the money for nurses' or staff wages,” he said.
ANF launched the “Working in aged care 2009: phase two of the ANF-University of Melbourne study’ last week which
found aged care nurses were under increasing and significant stress from high workloads, cost cutting and a hostile
work environment. The report found that registered nurses are responsible for between 9 residents to 47 residents.
“Understaffing in aged care facilities is having a detrimental impact on a workforce that is responsible for caring for our
loved ones. Mandated minimum nurse to resident ratios are in place in Victoria’s public health system and the United
States and are critical to creating a better aged care system
“The fact is that the registered nurse who is responsible for six residents is going to give better and safer care than the
registered nurse caring for 47 residents,” Mr Gilbert said.
“Ratios are also a proven nurse recruitment strategy with Victorian public hospitals recruiting 10,000 additional nurses
during a ‘worldwide nurse shortage’ since mandated minimum nurse numbers were introduced in 2001,” he said.
Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) Assistant Secretary Paul Gilbert on 0408 615 181
Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) Media Officer Robyn Asbury 0417 523 252 (to request copies of the report)
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