Local hospitals are in a staffing crisis. With better wages and conditions just over the border, there is a massive attrition of nurses and midwives to Queensland, leaving our hospitals understaffed and overworked. In the last few months, they’ve been striking for the pay rise they were promised. But it still hasn’t been delivered. They’re at breaking point and they need the community to support them.

Nurses and Midwives in NSW are forced to beg for a 15% pay rise after suffering an effective pay cut of 10% since 2020. Meanwhile, Queensland is offering $20,000 sign-on and retention bonuses for healthcare workers who move from interstate, and up to $70,000 for those relocating to rural or remote areas for over two years. This disparity has led to a significant exodus of skilled workers, with NSW Health reporting a 13.1% loss in its nursing workforce in 2022-23.

Mandy Nolan will host ‘Vital Work’ a forum on the crisis facing our Nurses, Midwives and Healthcare Workers across the Northern Rivers, joined by:  

• Kristin Ryan-Agnew, Tweed Branch President, NSW Nurses and Midwives Association and Registered Nurse and Midwife 
• Angie Gittus, Murwillumbah Branch Secretary NSW Nurses and Midwives Association and Registered Nurse 
• Heather Dunn, Registered Nurse and Midwife and NSWNMA Lismore Member
• Dr Amanda Cohn, Greens NSW MP and Health Spokesperson