❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Premier about the ongoing nurses' pay dispute and claims of WA nurses being the lowest paid. The Premier refutes these claims, highlighting government support and ongoing negotiations.
AnsweredQoN 865Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSES — ENTERPRISE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
865. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I refer to the ongoing pay dispute
with our critical nursing workforce.
(1) Can Western Australian
nurses expect another Christmas without any resolution to the Australian
Nursing Federation pay offer?
(2) Does the
Premier accept a situation in which Western Australian nurses have gone from
being the highest paid in the nation under the former government to the lowest
paid under his watch, contributing to low morale and shortages across the
hospital system?
865. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I refer to the ongoing pay dispute
with our critical nursing workforce.
(1) Can Western Australian
nurses expect another Christmas without any resolution to the Australian
Nursing Federation pay offer?
(2) Does the
Premier accept a situation in which Western Australian nurses have gone from
being the highest paid in the nation under the former government to the lowest
paid under his watch, contributing to low morale and shortages across the
hospital system?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Once
again, we hear all these falsehoods from the member for Vasse. It is simply not
true. She comes in here with those sorts of remarks and puts them out there
like she is giving grabs to an FM radio station, but in this place, the member
for Vasse will be held to account. We will remind the members of Parliament assembled and the public every time she says these
falsehoods and brings them into this chamber. Our nurses are not the
lowest paid in the country. Our nurses are valued by my government. Our nurses
do an amazing job on behalf of everyone in this state and provide world-class
health care. They work in the best health system in this country—the WA
health system. Our hospitals are performing the best in the country. That is
something about which we are very proud.
We want our nurses to continue to
receive great pay for providing great care to the patients of Western Australia.
Ultimately, it is up to them to continue the negotiations with the state
government on their bargaining arrangements. We continue to be committed to
that process. We are working in good faith with the union and its members to
continue to reach an agreement. But we have done more than that. In addition,
we have already provided nurses with a $3 000 cost-of-living allowance as an
act of good faith in these negotiations, we have already passed on pay rises
consistent with the public sector wages policy and we have committed to
nurse-to-patient ratios—the biggest single reform in nursing in this
state in the last 30 years. We are very proud of the work that we have done to
continue to make sure that WA's hospital system is the best in the
country. We know that having valued staff working in those hospitals is key to that continued work. We will continue to
negotiate with the ANF and its members to make sure that we can reach a resolution.
again, we hear all these falsehoods from the member for Vasse. It is simply not
true. She comes in here with those sorts of remarks and puts them out there
like she is giving grabs to an FM radio station, but in this place, the member
for Vasse will be held to account. We will remind the members of Parliament assembled and the public every time she says these
falsehoods and brings them into this chamber. Our nurses are not the
lowest paid in the country. Our nurses are valued by my government. Our nurses
do an amazing job on behalf of everyone in this state and provide world-class
health care. They work in the best health system in this country—the WA
health system. Our hospitals are performing the best in the country. That is
something about which we are very proud.
We want our nurses to continue to
receive great pay for providing great care to the patients of Western Australia.
Ultimately, it is up to them to continue the negotiations with the state
government on their bargaining arrangements. We continue to be committed to
that process. We are working in good faith with the union and its members to
continue to reach an agreement. But we have done more than that. In addition,
we have already provided nurses with a $3 000 cost-of-living allowance as an
act of good faith in these negotiations, we have already passed on pay rises
consistent with the public sector wages policy and we have committed to
nurse-to-patient ratios—the biggest single reform in nursing in this
state in the last 30 years. We are very proud of the work that we have done to
continue to make sure that WA's hospital system is the best in the
country. We know that having valued staff working in those hospitals is key to that continued work. We will continue to
negotiate with the ANF and its members to make sure that we can reach a resolution.
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