Photo: Moruya Mail
NSW Nurses and midwives have gone on strike to show their anger at the Perrottet government’s inaction on safe staffing. It’s time for this government to fix the health and staffing crises gripping our state.
At a local level the Nurses and Midwives held their public protest in Batemans Bay braving a cool, blustery and, at times, wet march.
Unable to attend the South East protest Doctor Michael Holland, Member for Bega, was in Parliament using his first question during Question Time to ask the government why they have not come to the table to undertake meaningful discussion with the nurses of our state.
VIDEO: © State of New South Wales through the Parliament of New South Wales
March 31st 2022
Dr Holland said "Thousands of nurses and midwives protested across the state today to demand better working conditions. I've seen what they have to deal with firsthand as a local doctor in regional NSW for almost 20 years. We must listen."
Message from Hon. Dr Michael Holland, MP, Member for Bega
to the Nurses and Midwives rally, Batemans Bay 31/03/22
“I cannot be present with you today but I will attend the rally in Sydney.
I don’t believe that there is a member of NSW Parliament who knows the current desperate state better than myself. I have shared and witnessed the experiences of my nursing and midwifery colleagues. They have gone above and beyond during the COVID Pandemic.
NSW Labor thanks each and every one of them for their commitment to helping and protecting their community. The problems have predated the COVID pandemic for years. We have a hospital system in New South Wales that is overstretched, under resourced and understaffed. That's not the fault of our frontline health workers, it's the fault of our Premier who put ideology before evidence and it's time he starts to listen to the health experts and get this right.
The NSW Premier says repeatedly that we need to push through this crisis but at the moment our frontline workers, particularly nurses and midwives feel like they're being pushed over by the NSW Government.
Our hospital system is being absolutely stretched to the limit, they're under significant pressure and significant stress. It's very crucial that our public hospital system is appropriately staffed now and into the future.
Currently that is not happening at many hospitals across NSW. This is a health and hospital system at breaking point and it's well past time the NSW Premier listened to those men and women who are working on the frontline trying to hold this system together.
Our local issues in the Bega electorate are reflected in rural communities state-wide. That is why I am representing you and our community in Sydney.
On behalf of the NSW Labor Opposition I thank each of you who have stood up to send a message to the Government that enough is enough.
We stand with you.”
The previous Member for Bega once again came under criticism for failing to support the nurses and midwives, during his time in office, as they sought his assistance in their quest for improved ratios and heeded their continued call for adequate staffing in the South East."
Above: Marchers today asking ex-member for Bega, Andrew Constance "Where was your support?" Photo Facebook
As far back as June 2014 Bega MP and Treasurer, Andrew Constance came under fire for his inaction around improved nurses-to-patient ratios.
NSWNMA Organiser, Shaye Candish, said at the time that local nurses and midwives were committed to safe patient care and a well resourced public health system.
“It’s important the Bega community is aware of what their local nurses and midwives are up against when trying to deliver safe patient care,” Ms Candish said.
“Our members are rightly concerned about recent health funding cuts in this year’s federal and state budgets, and what that means for the likelihood of ratios being mandated across all public health facilities in NSW.
“We’ll continue campaigning around these issues to ensure the community is well informed.”
Continue they did, and returned to Bega the following year.
The response as published in the Bega District News:
"While the government and the union have reached agreement on pay I would remind local nurses that it was their union that signed up to the nurse to patient day ratios with the Labor Government in 2010.
"In our hospitals, patient needs determine nursing staff levels - not some sort of inflexible industrial instrument demanded by the union.”
Mr Constance included excerpts from a letter written by NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner, which cites:
"It’s the kind of facility, not its geographic location that determines which kinds of patients it will care for and which it will refer to other services for more specialist care and treatment - there is not a one size fits all approach to complex medical and clinical situations.”
Source: Bega District News Feb 2015
Today's protest across the State will add weight to the message that the midwives and nurses have been trying to communicate to the ex-local member who they found to be incommunicative and indifferent to their pleas.
Photo: Moruya Mail
