Nurses and Midwives

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (15:39): I also rise today in celebration of International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, and I acknowledge the nurses and midwives in our parliament right now, including nurse Bonnie, who I have known since she was little. Welcome, and welcome to Louise Miller-Frost MP as well.

I celebrate today not only as the member for an electorate of which more than 20 per cent of the working people are employed in healthcare and the social assistance industry but also as the Premier's Advocate for Suicide Prevention, knowing the incredible work of our mental health nurses. We know that at the best of times midwives and nurses face a challenging workplace environment. Like all feminised industries, midwives and nurses have historically been underpaid and not afforded the same conditions and benefits of similar industries with lower women's participation.

Our government recognises these challenges, particularly those faced through the COVID-19 pandemic, and for generations—it has been said before—we will tell of the heroes of the frontline, not those in capes or Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although she is also great) but those midwives nurses and other healthcare professionals who risk their safety, and the safety of their families and loved ones, for the benefit of all in our community.

However, you deserve more than our thanks, more than our celebration: you deserve good pay and good working conditions. I am glad the state government and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation came together on a new enterprise agreement to provide a 9 per cent pay rise over the next three years, and I am glad there will be another one of the additional one-off payments of up to $1,500 to nurses and midwives to be made in October following this agreement. Our government is also working hard to recruit more nurses to help lighten your load.

Last year (around this time, actually) I spent a few hours in the emergency department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. While completely run off their feet, every nurse I interacted with was confident and skilled and showed me so much kindness. The triage nurse, Loz, stayed calm and focused while trying to keep so many balls in the air. She was also compassionate and, despite having so much on, could see that I was silently suffering—and I swear I genuinely was being silent. She came over to me and checked in and offered more pain relief, which was gratefully accepted.

Then, once I was in there, Monica made sure I was warm enough and brought me another blanket after talking me through what were the next steps, and Alicia tried to take blood out of my terrible veins. If anyone knows Alicia in emergency at the RAH, I just want to assure her that it was not her fault that it did not work: as Taylor would say, 'It's me. Hi, I'm the problem. It's me,' or, more accurately, my veins.

When I thought about today I realised that nurses and midwives are some of my favourite people. I met midwife Anna when we were fostering siblings a few years ago and were waiting for their contact visit to wrap up. This magical woman, who was raising her own four children and bringing children into the world at work, was also fostering little bubbas. My old school friend Talia has worked in neonate more than 10 years. She takes such incredible care of those little ones and is a fierce advocate for those vulnerable bubs who cannot speak for themselves. While no longer practising, my friend the member for Hurtle Vale is pretty great too—and I tell you what, it is so handy having a nurse in the building.

On the weekend, my friend Nat (not this one) posted a message on Instagram about her disability workers, words that I think apply to our nurses and midwives too. She wrote:

These days I often find myself rallying against the narrative that seeks to divide disability workers and disabled people. The narrative that dismisses care in their role because they are paid.

She went on to say:

No matter what I am doing in my life, I spend 5+ hours of my day with workers and they do care. Care is quietly leaving the hotel room to give me some time alone with my audiobook while I put on my make up, and leaving my heart drugs in a spot I can reach, with a cold water glass I can lift—because it is not full. Paid care is still care.

I know you, our nurses and midwives, care too.

So not just on International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day but every day, we thank you for the enormous contribution you make to our community. Keeping mothers and patients safe, empowering them to heal and recover in a nurturing environment, is work that every South Australian has relied or will one day rely on, so thank you. Now, go get a cuppa and have some scones.