Media Release
27 April 2007
The ANF supports Workers’ Memorial Day 28 April 2007
On Workers Memorial Day 2007 the ANF is calling on the federal government to fund a national strategy to combat the rising and dangerous incidents of violence and aggression against nurses and other health care workers.
Ged Kearney, ANF assistant federal secretary said; “On the whole Australia has decent working conditions, but these conditions are at risk under the Howard Governments WorkChoices legislation; the move to minimalist national occupational health and safety legislation and the watering down of the federal workers’ compensation scheme which is not equipped to deal with the occupational hazards of nursing.”
Ms Kearney said “…all workers have a right to be safe at work. Importantly for nurses, we also have an obligation to ensure our workplaces are safe and healthy because our patients’ health and safety can depend on it.
“Currently workers, particularly occupational health and safety workplace representatives, can use state legislation to identify and, if necessary, take action when a workplace or work practice is deemed unsafe,’ she said. “It is a powerful and important right to have. A national set of occupational health and safety laws should be based on best practice, not the lowest common denominator.”
Ms Kearney said, “On Workers’ Memorial Day we remember those workers who have lost their lives. Our obligation to those workers is to ensure that all workers continue to have a legislated right to a safe workplace and adequate and appropriate compensation and rehabilitation if they are injured.”
Sadly, Australian workers continue to lose their lives as a result of unsafe workplace incidents and Australian nurses remain at risk of injury and illness everyday.
There will be activities around the nation on Saturday 28 April to mark ‘Workers’ Memorial Day’, a day of tribute to workers who have lost their lives in workplace accidents.
The ANF, representing 150,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses in
Media inquiries
Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary 0419 576 590
Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary, 0417 053 322