24 June 2004

University decision may lead to even greater nursing shortages

The Australian Nursing Federation said today it was disappointed by the University of Sydney's proposal to stop accepting undergraduate nursing students from next year.

'If universities are forced to raise their own funds, more profitable courses are going to look more attractive and courses with frozen HECS fees are going to be less attractive. It looks like frozen HECS fees are working against nursing, rather than for it,' ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe said.

'We note the University of Sydney is proposing to keep their postgraduate nursing courses - which attract full fees. University education is now being based on economics rather than the needs of students and of Australian society.

'The university may say that these 858 places will be transferred to the University of Technology, Sydney, and the Australian Catholic University, but there's every chance that some places will be lost and we cannot afford to lose even one place.

'If a university is allowed to stop accepting nursing students and farm them out to other universities we are at risk of exacerbating the nursing shortage in Australia, as well as reducing the diversity and quality of nursing education.

'Sydney University is one of very few in the country that has demonstrated a commitment to Indigenous health issues through their nursing curriculum. If they cease to offer their nursing course this commitment is also lost, which is very disappointing considering the poor health outcomes of Australia's Indigenous people.

'Figures from the Australian Vice Chancellors Committee showed 4,545 eligible nursing applicants missed out on an undergraduate nursing place this year, which is particularly alarming considering Australian Government's National Review of Nursing Education predicted nursing vacancies of 31,000 between 2001 and 2006.

'Freezing HECS places and announcing the creation of new undergraduate nursing positions will be ineffective unless there are government policies in place to prevent the closure of schools of nursing. The ANF is calling on the Australian Government and Brendan Nelson to provide incentives to universities so they maintain and increase places for undergraduate nursing students.'

The ANF, representing 140,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses in Australia.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary  0419 576 590
Ged Cowin, Assistant Secretary  0417 053 322
Heather Witham, Federal Communications Officer  0417 359 907