Media Release
26 March 2008
National registration supported by nurses
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) today reiterated their support for national registration saying that it made sense given the mobility of the nursing workforce.
ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe said national registration and national accreditation of courses leading to registration allows nurses to move more easily throughout the Australian health system and brings greater assurance to patients that those people charged with their health care are consistently and appropriately qualified.
“The ANF fully supports the federal government’s move to national registration, although there is a need for more information and consultation with health professionals through the Department of Health and Ageing about what the final model will look like;” she said.
The ANF would like a model that sees a national body for nurses responsible for their standards of education and competency with direct access to Ministers.
As nurses make up over 50% of the health workforce the ANF expects the national body will be represented at state and territory level to manage the process, such as investigating complaints at the local level.
“National registration will bring greater transparency and accountability to Australia’s health care system and should be applied to all health professionals. The ANF would very much like to see COAG commit to this initiative tomorrow.” Ms Iliffe said
Media inquiries:
Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary, 0419 576 590
Libby Muir, ANF Communications Officer, 0413 834 979
The ANF, representing nearly 160,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses and midwives in