Nurses and Midwives

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the minister responsible for public sector employment on the topic of the nurses' rally today.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Today, nurses and midwives from right around the state rallied on the steps of our Parliament House. They came from Mount Barker, Flinders, the Lyell McEwin, Hampstead, Noarlunga, Modbury, The QEH and Glenside in buses. They walked down from the Women's and Children's and the RAH. In fact, many made their own way from various other workplaces. Some of the placards included 'Tiny patients, big responsibilities—fix our ratios now'. One of the chants was, 'Count the babies'.

As we know, babies are not currently counted in the government's proposed nurse to patient ratios. They quite rightfully outlined that we had relied on their workforce during COVID, when nurses working in our emergency departments slept in tents in their backyard so that their families would not potentially come into contact with COVID, and that they are amongst the lowest paid in the country in the public system.

Even with the 13 per cent over four years offered this week, that would actually only bring them to the second lowest paid workforce in the country. They also outlined that they face physical and verbal abuse and violence in their workplaces. They called for respect. My question to the minister is: when will the Malinauskas government give the nurses and midwives of this state in our public sector respect and meet their demands?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Deputy Premier, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:42): I thank the honourable for her question and her advocacy for some of the hardest working, most respected parts of our public sector. The thousands of nurses and midwives right across South Australia do a remarkable job, as the honourable member outlined, of keeping us safe in times when it is needed, such as the COVID pandemic, but also every single day as public sector nurses in hospitals from Mount Gambier to Coober Pedy to Ceduna and all points in between. There wouldn't be a South Australian who isn't able to recall a time when a nurse has shown that extraordinary kindness and dedication to themselves or a family member, sometimes in the most difficult times of their lives, when they or loved ones are very sick in the public sector health system.

We continue to negotiate in very good faith with the nurses. The honourable member outlined the current headline wage offer, which stands, I think, at 13 per cent over four years. Just yesterday there were further increases to that wage offer that were formally put to the ANMF, the nurses' and midwives' union, that included bonus payments in between each yearly pay point and additional payment for regional incentives. They were starting at $1,000 but going up from that, as I understand it, at various regional locations for the first five years. There was a further payment for completion of five years in a regional area of another amount and then, for every three years after that, further payments as regional incentives for nurses.

We will of course continue to have discussions with the Nursing and Midwifery Federation in South Australia. I know that I, the health minister and occasionally the Premier will be involved in those and other public sector discussions and will continue to do so.