Bringing Nurses Back into the Workforce

If you are a registered nurse/midwife (Division 1 if in Victoria) or enrolled nurse (Division 2 if in Victoria) who has been employed previously in the Australian nursing workforce, but you have not worked as a nurse/midwife in Australia for 12 months or more, you may be eligible for cash bonuses to encourage you to come back to work in a public or private sector, community health setting, residential aged care home or community based aged care.

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You can get to this page using the short URL
www.health.gov.au/backtonursing

This funding, announced on 15 January 2008 by the Prime Minister, the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, and the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Nicola Roxon MP, is part of a $138.9 million plan to bring extra nurses/midwives into the Australian health workforce. If you started work on or after 15 January 2008 and meet the eligibility criteria you may qualify for the bonus payments.

On 5 December 2008, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Nicola Roxon MP, announced that following feedback from the stakeholders, and in response to ongoing shortages in the community nursing sector, the Bringing Nurses Back into the Workforce (BNBW) program would be expanded to include community health settings, community-based aged care and day surgery hospitals.

More detail on this program is contained in the following fact sheets:

Application form for nurses (PDF 27 KB) - to be completed by returning nurse/midwife

The Royal College of Nursing, Australia (RCNA) is administering the aged care nursing positions under this program.
Aged care application form

If you have a question about the program, please email BacktoNursing@health.gov.au and include your name and contact details or call 1300 733 314.

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