Media Release
13 April 2005
More HECS nursing places needed to prevent 'Big Bang'
In response to the Productivity Commission report on an ageing Australia, released today, the Australian Nursing Federation is calling for an immediate substantial increase in the number of undergraduate nursing places to prevent costly 'big bang' interventions later.
The report points out that ageing will intensify demands for health and aged care. Nurses make up the largest number of health care workers. Currently, we are not educating enough nurses to meet the future health care needs of the Australian community.
The recently released report by the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee, The Australian Nursing Workforce - An overview of workforce planning 2001-2004, said that 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 12,483 in 2010.
'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 40% of our nursing workforce will be contemplating retirement over the next 10-15 years - our most experienced and qualified nurses - leaving a critical undersupply of nurses in the future,' Ms Iliffe said.
'We need to increase undergraduate nursing HECS places significantly. Figures from the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee showed that 4,545 eligible nursing applicants missed out on an undergraduate nursing place last year.
'There are plenty of people wanting to undertake nursing, but just not enough places for them.
'Despite all the studies that have been undertaken reccommending increased HECS nursing places, there has been an inadequate response by the Australian Government. We would like to see some action taken immediately - as the Productivity Commission Report points out - to avoid the need for costly or inequitable 'big bang' interventions later.'
| Eligible but unsuccessful applicants for undergraduate nursing courses | ||||||||
| State/Terr | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Aus |
620 |
836 |
1,393 |
1.473 |
1,544 |
2,934 |
4,861 |
4,545 |
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
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.