New South Wales has a worldclass healthcare system that relies on the skilled workforce of nurses and midwives. Nurses and midwives work in high-pressured, high stakes environments to keep the community safe. Their wages have stagnated for over a decade and now they are the lowest paid in the country – in a state that is the most expensive to live in. Many are leaving to work over the border or in professions that pay better. We are at risk of not having enough nurses and midwives to secure safe staffing ratios – there are already not enough to work in regional areas.

By lifting the public sector wage cap, the government has created an opportunity for frontline workers to negotiate their pay and in Parliament, I restated my support for the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association campaign for a wage increase that brings them in line with other states.

My speech > HERE.