Archived Media Releases: 05 May 2006

ANF says extend Medicare rebates for midwives | International Day of the Midwife 2006

The Australian Nursing Federation is calling on the Australian Government to extend Medicare rebates for midwifery services, including ante-natal, birthing and post-natal care, to women wherever they live.

Ante-natal checks by midwives in regional and remote communities have been covered by Medicare since earlier this year but the rebate should extend to a full range of midwifery services according to ANF federal secretary Jill Iliffe.

‘We applaud the Government’s decision earlier this year to extend the Medicare rebate for ante-natal checks by midwives in rural and remote communities.

‘It is now time to acknowledge that midwives are more than capable of providing a full range of birthing services to women. This option should also not be limited to rural and remote communities but available to all women as a matter of choice wherever they live.’

International Day of the Midwife is an opportunity for the community to celebrate the essential role midwives play in caring for birthing women and their babies. There are an estimated 13,486 practicing midwives in Australia – who make up 8.4 per cent of the nursing workforce.

Media Contacts
Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary  0419 576 590
Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary 0417 053 322
Lani Stanistreet, Manager Communication and Journals 0414 471 339

The ANF, representing 150,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses and midwives in Australia