Media Release

15 March 2005

How many more studies do we need!
The ANF said today that while they support research into the health workforce, they feel the sector, particularly nursing, has been studied enough.

There is already in place a National Health Workforce Strategy and various other studies, including the Hogan Pricing Review into residential aged care; the aged care census and survey by the National Institute of Labour and the AHWAC report on the nursing workforce (2004.2), undertaken on the health workforce.

‘The Australian Government’s National Review of Nursing Education, published in 2002, predicted nursing vacancies of 31,000 between 2001 and 2006,’ ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe said. ‘Despite all the studies that have been undertaken recommending increased HECS nursing places, there has been an inadequate response by the Australian Government. You would have to excuse us for being cynical about this latest announcement.

‘It takes three years to educate a registered nurse, and even longer for them to gain specialist qualifications. The average age of a nurse in Australia is about 42 years which means we will lose 40% of our nursing workforce over the next 10-15 years - our most experienced and qualified nurses.

‘At least six Australian Government reports have now stated that we need to increase substantially the number of undergraduate nursing places. How much more evidence does the Australian Government need?’ Ms Iliffe said.

The recently released report by the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee, The Australian Nursing Workforce – An Overview of workforce

Planning 2001-2004, makes the following points:

• The ageing of the nursing workforce (and projected retirements), decreasing hours worked and turnover will have an effect on the ability of the nursing workforce supply to replace itself.
• For supply to meet demand, between 10,182 and 12,270 new graduate nurses are required to enter the workforce in 2006 and between 10,712 and 13,483 in 2010.

‘We need to increase undergraduate nursing HECS places. Figures from the Australian Vice Chancellors Committee showed that 4,545 eligible nursing applicants missed out on an undergraduate nursing place last year.
‘We have been telling the Government for a long time that there are insufficient nurses being educated in Australia. The solution is simple. We don’t need another study. We want to see some action taken immediately, not after yet another study is completed in 2006.’

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

The ANF, representing 145,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses in Australia.