Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre

Ms COOK (Fisher) (15:39): I would like to use the opportunity today to raise awareness of a recently established research centre. I was fortunate enough and honoured enough to be invited to the launch of the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre. It is a demonstration of two significant organisations in this state partnering to address the challenges that nursing and midwifery face today as a modern and continually evolving profession.

The Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre is a joint initiative between the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation of South Australia and the University of South Australia and is a first in this state. The centre will focus on research to advance the discipline of nursing and patient care related to population and public health, workforce reform, safety and quality, clinical practice, patient outcomes and the translation of evidence into education and practice.

As we are all aware, up-to-date evidence in health care is vital not only in clinical practice but also in policy, management and, critically, systems development and funding. This centre will play a key role in ensuring that this state has the evidence it needs to make informed healthcare decisions. The centre will utilise its networks to build innovative partnerships for healthcare research to inform strategies for (1) extending the capacity and capabilities of nurses and midwives to build a resilient, sustainable and collaborative workforce; (2) health system planning and resourcing; (3) clinical care outcomes; and (4) translation of evidence into practice and education.

The centre will also be strategically placed to develop strong national and international multidisciplinary partnerships so that South Australia can maximise the impact of its research in a variety of healthcare settings. The centre will pave the way for discoveries, advances and changes to better equip nurses and midwives to support not only South Australians but also the profession and health systems at national and international levels.

By establishing the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre in South Australia, today I am also recognising and acknowledging the foresight of two of this state's leading organisations—which are, as mentioned before, the South Australian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of South Australia—as champions of driving change and innovation through a partnership approach.

The ANMF South Australian branch, since it was first established as this, has played an important part in shaping the quality of our nursing profession in South Australia. Let's not forget it has the largest membership of any of the healthcare industrial organisations and perhaps organisations overall. In fact, it has just reached the milestone of 20,000 members in South Australia. It plays a very important role in the health of this community to ensure that we as a state stay true to the mission of delivering high quality patient-centred care. It is with this in mind that the ANMF has partnered with the university to establish the centre.

UniSA is currently ranked 25 in the world's top 50 universities under 50 years of age in the 2014-15 QS World University Rankings. It is an effort this state should be very proud of, but it is also one that we should continually look to support and build upon. The University of South Australia was established to be this state's university for the people and to address issues of access and equity and facilitate opportunities for all in South Australia to pursue a university education. The university has a long history of educating the future nurses, midwives and nursing leaders for this state. It is the third largest undergraduate teaching facility in Australia and the largest in South Australia. Each year, the School of Nursing and Midwifery at UniSA graduates around 700 undergraduate and postgraduate nurses and midwives.

This partnership has established what I hope will become the pre-eminent nursing and midwifery research centre in Australia and one that not only informs local action but also drives change in national and international arenas. Nurses and midwives work very hard to make a positive difference in people's lives. This centre will support them as they undertake that very important work and ultimately improve outcomes for those they care for. I have no doubt that by using Dr Rosemary Bryant AO's name, with her lending her time and the weight of that name to this research centre, that is exactly what will be achieved.

She was the first commonwealth Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer and an Adelaide girl who was the Director of Nursing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She has held many senior nursing leadership roles, including the Branch President of the South Australian Nursing Federation (as it was called before the word 'midwifery' was introduced) and Vice President of the International Council of Nurses. She is a true trailblazer and a real inspiration. As the state member for Fisher, I look forward to supporting this research centre and watching it flourish as the state's pre-eminent nursing and midwifery research centre in the years to come.