As workforce challenges and cost-of-living issues intensify across the professions, Michael Whaites, General Secretary of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA), speaks to the ANMJ about his journey and the key issues facing nurses, midwives and carers.
Take us back to the beginning — what inspired you to become a nurse and midwife?
My parents and grandparents, through their actions, taught me that it is important to help others, and my grandfather encouraged me to go to university. As I was nearing the end of high school, I chose nursing as it combined those things and would give me a career in which I could travel the world. As it turned out, I stuck with the career and didn’t travel until much later.
What areas did you work in early in your career, and what stands out most from those days on the floor?
I began paid work in aged care before applying to do midwifery at UWS Hawkesbury. Following the completion of the course I worked briefly in a neonatal intensive care unit and then maternity services in the public sector.
What stands out most from my clinical days is two things: the reward of making a difference in someone’s day and someone’s life, and the joy of working with a good team.
What motivated you to become involved with the NSWNMA?
No matter where I worked the same issues came up: lack of resources, poor staffing levels, and cutbacks to services. When you see the impacts on staff and on our communities, and also see extreme wealth and governments choosing other priorities, well, you can choose to accept things the way they are, or you can choose to act. I had a view, a view that I maintain, that a better world is possible if you come together and fight for change.
You joined the NSWNMA as an Organiser in 2005 and have held several roles since. Can you walk us through your journey and what continues to drive your advocacy for members?
I started as an Organiser, assisting individual members with their matters, and then progressed to working with workplace branches. I’ve worked with aged care, private and public branches, in addressing their collective issues.
I then took on the role of trade union trainer for the Association, working with members to build confidence and understanding in enacting their rights at work. From there I became a Lead Organiser and then Manager within the Public Health team. I briefly worked as Director of Strategy before becoming the Assistant General Secretary in 2023.
What motivated me then, and what motivates me now is knowing that when we act as a collective, we can make change and seeing the transformation in people when they win, that change is the best reward. There is so much injustice and inequity in the world; where we can, we must act to address it and helping people to advocate for themselves is the best way to achieve change at scale.
How did it feel to be appointed General Secretary of the NSWNMA?
It felt like a great responsibility, but one that I am up for. Leading the largest union in NSW, part of the ANMF as the largest union in the country, is an absolute privilege. I take on the role knowing my responsibility lies not only in continuing our proud history, but in ensuring we win the changes needed for the future of our professions. It’s a challenge I look forward to meeting with members.
What do you consider the biggest challenges facing nurses and midwives in New South Wales?
Too often, our members are not respected as they ought to be. You see the disrespect in the pay, workloads, violence and racism that they experience day in, day out. These are key industrial and human rights issues that we are addressing. This is happening in a world of multiple crisis; climate change, war and conflict, and rising intergenerational wealth inequity making housing and education unaffordable, whilst we also see rapid change as artificial intelligence impacts our lives. The biggest challenge is making sense of this and responding in a strong and united way that ensures workers’ lives are improving, and acting now to ensure that our professions are well positioned to deal with the challenges to come.
If you could achieve one major change for members in the next year, what would it be?
That governments choose to invest in nurses, midwives and carers the way they choose to invest in defence.
What advice would you give to a nurse or midwife just starting out today?
Other than join your union! – take the time to enjoy and celebrate a good decision in choosing what can be a really rewarding career, one that can take you wherever you want to go.
Outside of work, what motivates or inspires you personally, and how does that shape your approach to leading the NSWNMA?
It’s a cliché because it is often true – my family and friends. It shapes my approach to leading the NSWNMA because if you don’t love people and want the best for them, then you can’t do this job. It’s caring for our collective future at a deep and personal level that connects us.
Looking ahead, what are your key priorities for the NSWNMA over the next few years?
Making sure our democracy within the union is strong and that we remain financially stable. Member voice and leadership is key to our success and if we want to continue to grow, we need to make sure that our fees remain affordable and our services exceptional. We’ve so much to win: ratios in public and private sectors, ensuring care minutes are enforceable. Fighting for improved wages and conditions, including greater control over work life balance…There’s so much we could do, but working with members to focus our priorities is key.
