Media Release
14 June 2007
Apologise to nurses Mr Abbott - ANF
Health Minister Tony Abbott must apolgise to all nurses for comments made in Parliament yesterday suggesting they were “indoctrinating patients” and responsible for lengthening waiting lists in NSW because they were all at “ACTU indoctrination lessons”, the Australian Nursing Federation said today.
The Health Minister used the cover of parliamentary privilege to denounce nurses and accuse them of turning hospitals into centres for “political activism”.
ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe said quality of patient care is central to the nursing profession and nurses are proud of their history of political activism in defending and promoting patient care and improving nurses’ working conditions.
“Nurses have always been political, although not usually party political. We are proud of the tradition we carry on from one of the greatest political leaders of all time – Florence Nightingale,” Ms Iliffe said. “Nurses understand the link between patient care and the impact of the WorkChoices legislation. If Mr Abbott is concerned about nurses’ political activism he should lobby John Howard to withdraw the IR laws that threaten our working conditions and jeopardise the quality of patient care.”
Ms Iliffe said the ANF has a proud tradition of pursuing political campaigns that support patient care and defend nurses’ rights. “We will continue to oppose this government’s industrial relations agenda because it is not good for nurses and it is even worse for the health of patients.”
The ANF, representing 150,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses in
Media inquiries
Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary, 0417 053 322
Libby Muir, ANF Communications Manager 0413 834 979