Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

STEELE-JOHN () (): Nurses are the bedrock of our community. They should not have to fight to be paid what they are worth. And they should not be forced to take on many shifts—double or triple shifts—to manage patient ratios that are at unsafe levels. The ratio of one nurse to four patients across all WA EDs has rightly been recommended. With the new WA nurses enterprise bargaining agreement including a phase-in of the one-to-four nurse-to-patient ratio, the WA state government needs to take action now.

I have heard from nurses that they feel that the WA government is letting them down—that maybe, sometime in the future, they'll get better staffing ratios. And don't get me started on the dismal three per cent pay rise—or nothing!

Labor's refusal to pay nurses what they are worth and to properly fund our WA hospitals has had real effects on our healthcare system. It's the lack of wheelchairs in emergency departments to support people when they have broken their ankles. It's people experiencing six-hour wait times and hours and hours of ambulance ramping. It's the day-to-day anxiety that comes from being a nurse working a 12-hour shift and being responsible for far more patients than anyone could possibly manage.

The fixes aren't difficult. WA's surplus is hitting some $3.7 billion. It is beyond time for WA Labor to invest in our healthcare system so that it works for everyone.