Victorian Nurses Demand Fair Pay and Workloads
Starting at 9am on 29th April, Victorian public school nurses have initiated industrial action. This move aims to achieve better wages and safer workloads, following stalled negotiations for a new enterprise agreement.
Negotiations led by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) began in June last year. Their goal is to align school nurses’ pay with the Public Sector Nurses and Midwives Agreement 2024-28. At present, school nurses earn up to 20 per cent less than hospital nurses, and this gap might increase to 30 per cent by 2027 if current policies remain unchanged.
Maddy Harradence, Secretary of ANMF (Vic Branch), emphasised, “School nurses are joining their teaching and education support staff colleagues in taking protected industrial action as a last resort because the Victorian Government must improve its pay offer. They are not worth less than hospital nurses.”
Actions Undertaken by Nurses
During this industrial action, school nurses will wear ANMF t-shirts and hand out campaign letters to parents. They will also pause work for up to 10 minutes to engage with parents and visitors about their campaign. a ban on redeployment will be enforced.
Victoria employs 350 school nurses who serve students from Prep to Year 12. Their roles are critical in health promotion, education, and individual health counselling within schools.
Providing acute primary health care and managing chronic health conditions, school nurses are an invaluable resource. They play a significant role in supporting children and families facing vulnerability or risk, ensuring optimal health and wellbeing.
In primary schools, nurses assist in identifying health, wellbeing, and developmental issues among students. In secondary schools, the focus shifts to preventative health, health promotion, planning, and education.
The union is advocating for the Victorian Government to guarantee safe workloads and ensure universal access to the primary school nursing programme for all families with children starting school.
The ANMF (Vic Branch) highlights that school nurses, employed directly by government schools, provide essential nursing care to students in special schools. They serve as a vital referral system for students, teachers, and families.
Victorian Government’s current wages policy could result in a significant pay disparity by 2027. As a result, the industrial action seeks to address these issues and improve conditions for school nurses.
Last updated: 29 April 2026, 4:23 pm
