Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

LAXALE () (): Nurses and midwives are the beating heart of our healthcare system. They're the ones we trust to care for us in our most vulnerable moments yet in New South Wales they are some of the lowest-paid in the country. That's just unfair and unsustainable. We are seeing too many of New South Wales nurses leaving for other states that offer better pay and working conditions. With two major public hospitals servicing Bennelong, this is a loss that my community cannot afford.

Back in July I had the privilege of standing with nurses at Ryde Hospital, supporting their fight for better pay and conditions. Nurses at Ryde Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital have contacted my office to tell me the same thing: they are stretched thin, they are working long hours under immense pressure and they deserve pay and conditions that reflect the critical role they play in our healthcare system.

After the cruel wages cap of the former Liberal government in New South Wales, we have now seen meaningful pay rises for teachers and police officers, but now is the time to deliver for our nurses and midwives. A pay rise for them will be an investment in our future and in the future of our healthcare system, and into the wellbeing of everyone who needs it. I stand with Bennelong's nurses and midwives, because they stand with us every single day.