The country’s biggest union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), has congratulated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his historic election win over the weekend, saying it looks forward to working with his new Government to continue to deliver improved outcomes in health and aged care.

ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said Mr Albanese had delivered many gains for nurses and midwives and care workers during his last term of his Government – which will now help secure better outcomes in health and aged care for the community over the next three years.

“We congratulate Mr Albanese and his federal Labor team on their historic re-election to Government,” Ms Butler said.

“Over the last term of Government, many ANMF members benefitted from Labor’s reforms, such as improved wages and 24/7 RN staffing in aged care; improvements to workers’ rights; the removal of outdated barriers to practice for nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives; fee-free TAFE courses for over 100,000 students; and the establishment of a National Nursing and Midwifery Health Program.

“In the lead-up to this Election, Mr Albanese again promised he’d stand-up for nurses, midwives and care workers, which we welcome because although we’ve made significant gains, we still have much work to do.

“Peter Dutton made the mistake of ignoring nurses and midwives in the lead-up to this Election, demonstrating a lack of respect for our professions and our contribution to the health of our communities. It’s clear that Australians understood this and weren’t prepared to risk Peter Dutton but instead put their vote of confidence in Mr Albanese and his team’s positive agenda for health and aged care.

“We now look forward to getting down to work with Mr Albanese and his team to start implementing the ANMF’s priorities, so we can continue building a sustainable workforce which is well-positioned to respond to Australia’s growing health needs into the future.”