❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the timeframe for implementing safe nursing staffing levels, referencing an 'exceptional matters order'. The Acting Premier's response focuses on nurse recruitment and contrasts the current government's efforts with the previous administration's record.
AnsweredQoN 199Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the statement made by the Minister for Health this week on nurses’ workloads. I have read the comments of Mark Olson from the Australian Nursing Federation in The West Australian today, I have read the exceptional matters order and I have spoken with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. Can the Acting Premier direct me to the clause in the exceptional matters order 2002 that states that the Government has two years in which to implement safe nursing staffing levels in Western Australian government hospitals? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I have been given some advice on related matters. It is stated in the order that it commences on 1 March 2002 and expires on 28 February 2004. The order was made in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission pursuant to the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Section 120A(5) of that Act states - An exceptional matters order ceases to be in force 2 years after it is made, and cannot be extended. When the Minister for Health made the statement that the decision has a life of two years, he was referring to the legislative framework of the order as set out in the section of the Act that I have just outlined. The important issue is that the Government is putting more nurses into the system. An additional 325 nurses have been employed so far under this Government. We intend to keep on with our efforts to employ additional nurses. We will have a vigorous recruitment campaign, which I hope the Opposition will publicly support. We will explain to potential nurses the changes we have made to working arrangements in hospitals to make it more attractive for those people who have stayed out of the nursing profession for some time to come back to the profession. In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for the question. I have been given some advice on related matters. It is stated in the order that it commences on 1 March 2002 and expires on 28 February 2004. The order was made in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission pursuant to the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Section 120A(5) of that Act states - An exceptional matters order ceases to be in force 2 years after it is made, and cannot be extended. When the Minister for Health made the statement that the decision has a life of two years, he was referring to the legislative framework of the order as set out in the section of the Act that I have just outlined. The important issue is that the Government is putting more nurses into the system. An additional 325 nurses have been employed so far under this Government. We intend to keep on with our efforts to employ additional nurses. We will have a vigorous recruitment campaign, which I hope the Opposition will publicly support. We will explain to potential nurses the changes we have made to working arrangements in hospitals to make it more attractive for those people who have stayed out of the nursing profession for some time to come back to the profession. In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
I thank the member for the question. I have been given some advice on related matters. It is stated in the order that it commences on 1 March 2002 and expires on 28 February 2004. The order was made in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission pursuant to the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Section 120A(5) of that Act states - An exceptional matters order ceases to be in force 2 years after it is made, and cannot be extended. When the Minister for Health made the statement that the decision has a life of two years, he was referring to the legislative framework of the order as set out in the section of the Act that I have just outlined. The important issue is that the Government is putting more nurses into the system. An additional 325 nurses have been employed so far under this Government. We intend to keep on with our efforts to employ additional nurses. We will have a vigorous recruitment campaign, which I hope the Opposition will publicly support. We will explain to potential nurses the changes we have made to working arrangements in hospitals to make it more attractive for those people who have stayed out of the nursing profession for some time to come back to the profession. In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for the question. I have been given some advice on related matters. It is stated in the order that it commences on 1 March 2002 and expires on 28 February 2004. The order was made in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission pursuant to the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Section 120A(5) of that Act states - An exceptional matters order ceases to be in force 2 years after it is made, and cannot be extended. When the Minister for Health made the statement that the decision has a life of two years, he was referring to the legislative framework of the order as set out in the section of the Act that I have just outlined. The important issue is that the Government is putting more nurses into the system. An additional 325 nurses have been employed so far under this Government. We intend to keep on with our efforts to employ additional nurses. We will have a vigorous recruitment campaign, which I hope the Opposition will publicly support. We will explain to potential nurses the changes we have made to working arrangements in hospitals to make it more attractive for those people who have stayed out of the nursing profession for some time to come back to the profession. In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
I thank the member for the question. I have been given some advice on related matters. It is stated in the order that it commences on 1 March 2002 and expires on 28 February 2004. The order was made in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission pursuant to the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Section 120A(5) of that Act states - An exceptional matters order ceases to be in force 2 years after it is made, and cannot be extended. When the Minister for Health made the statement that the decision has a life of two years, he was referring to the legislative framework of the order as set out in the section of the Act that I have just outlined. The important issue is that the Government is putting more nurses into the system. An additional 325 nurses have been employed so far under this Government. We intend to keep on with our efforts to employ additional nurses. We will have a vigorous recruitment campaign, which I hope the Opposition will publicly support. We will explain to potential nurses the changes we have made to working arrangements in hospitals to make it more attractive for those people who have stayed out of the nursing profession for some time to come back to the profession. In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
In politics there are always choices. The community can compare our record with that of the previous Government. In just over 18 months, we have put on an additional 325 nurses. Nursing numbers fell by about 1 000 during the eight years of the Court Government. The community has the choice of members opposite, who cut nursing numbers by about 1 000, or government members, who put on an additional 325 nurses in the first 18 months of government. It is all about choice. I know which choice I would make.
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