Nurses and Midwives

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:44): Last month, in this chamber, many honourable members praised and celebrated the work of nurses and midwives. We supported and passed a motion by the Minister for Health to recognise International Nurses Day and International Day of the Midwife. We spoke about the commitment of these essential workers and the high-pressure environments where they must recall specific and important medical knowledge and information while managing shiftwork and being away from their own friends and family.

It is a job many honourable members and I could not do. We all agreed enthusiastically that, thankfully, someone else does this hard job, while we congratulate them for their willingness and commitment. However, words become platitudes when they are not demonstrated through actions. The minister can move any motion he likes about these hardworking essential staff, but his actions and the decisions of the Liberal government send nurses, midwives, their union and the community a very different message.

Recently, we learnt that in the first three weeks of April 2020 about 1,600 casual nurses in South Australia's public health system went without pay, performing only one or no shifts. This was while a health crisis was unfolding and at a time when, if the coronavirus had taken a stronghold in our community, we would have most needed our army of nurses—including these 1,600—to be equipped and ready to work.

When the Marshall Liberal government decided to shut down elective surgery it did not seem to have a backup plan for the teams of nursing staff who make themselves available on a casual basis and who turn up when our community needs them. These workers, who have foregone employment security and entitlements so that they can work when and if it suits our hospital system, were left to fend for themselves. If the unpredictability of their employment and the difficulty that causes were not enough, when coronavirus looms, with all its uncertainties, these nurses have no work and no JobKeeper to help them pay their bills or buy food and no notice of when they might work again.

From a public health position, I simply do not understand the logic of a government that, while preparing for a battle against an unknown and unseen killer, benches a good section of its fit and fighting army. Yet, I am sure that if all hands were called to the front line, nurses would be amongst the first to the front because they believe that providing health care is their duty.

While the Marshall government has not had the foresight to financially support these 1,600 out-of-work casual nurses, or relocate them temporarily in the health system to keep their skills engaged and agile, it appears this Liberal government is returning to what they are good at, and that is to cut jobs. It was reported in the media recently that the nursing union had learned of plans to restart voluntary redundancies across Health as part of a cost-cutting exercise by this government.

While the Premier praises our nurses as COVID-19 heroes, and his health minister might say that the COVID-19 front line will not be considered for packages, their actions tell nurses and the community that we have too many nurses and we need to cut them. I am not sure if the nurses, their union, or anyone else who has had a recent stay in our hospitals would feel the same.

I urge the Premier and the health minister to take stock, to show loyalty. This is not the time to send a message to our nurses that they are no longer wanted, and that the line at Centrelink is where they should be heading.