A Full Bench of the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales has determined to make two new awards to apply to nurses, midwives, and assistants in nursing in NSW.
The awards increase salary and salary-related allowances by 16% for registered nurses and midwives, by 18% for enrolled nurses and by 28% for assistants in nursing, over a three-year period commencing 1 July 2025.
In awarding these increases, the Commission held:
- Gender undervaluation: Historically, nursing has been undervalued, principally because it involves the exercise of caring or interpersonal skills that women were considered to have a natural capacity to perform. While registered nurses have been recognised as professionals and paid accordingly—properly acknowledging their technical skills—at no point has any work value review expressly consider caring, communication and related interpersonal skills, which historically have been overlooked (and which are considered "invisible skills” as a result). A one-off increase is necessary to recognise that caring and other interpersonal skills are not only integral to the work of nurses but of high work value. This will address the real possibility that their work is undervalued for gender reasons.
- Work value: There has been a change to the way that nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing work, since the most recent datum point of 1 July 2009, of a sufficient magnitude to meet the "strict test" of the work value principle and require a one-off increase.
- Changing value of money: Since the last time the Commission heard a major case concerning their rates of pay, nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing have seen the real value of their remuneration fall. The extraordinary and unexpected high inflation caused by the COVID-19 crisis provides a proper basis for a one-off reset.
The Commission also awarded an allowance for nurses working in the patient transport service to address the detriment of being required to crib away from base. The Commission rejected two claims concerning flexible work and sick leave.
Read the full decision here.
