Stage One - Consultation and research
Extensive consultation was undertaken to understand current challenges facing the nursing workforce in Australia, what is working well and innovative solutions for the future. Stage One consultation included a range of virtual and in-person channels including webinars, workshops, yarning circles, video and written submissions, and surveys. A total of 5,995 stakeholders across the country participated and 1,169,336 data points were gathered. Additionally, 19 environmental scans and literature reviews were undertaken.
The outcomes from consultation as well as the evidence gathered through national and international environmental scans and literature reviews are available at: www.health.gov.au/nnws.
Key findings
The findings from the public consultation are grouped into 13 key themes (listed in no order):
- Planning for future workforce needs can be improved
- Perceptions about what nurses do are often outdated
- Continuing to recruit nurses is critical
- Retaining nurses is as important as attracting new ones
- Education and training can be improved
- Support during clinical placements needs to be bolstered
- Clear career progression is important for recruitment and retention
- Nurses’ roles and skills need to be optimised in line with changing community needs
- Supporting nurse leaders is important for positive workplaces
- Digital technologies will change the skills required of nurses
- Nurses in rural and remote areas face added challenges
- First Nations nurses face particular issues
- Supporting a diverse nursing workforce is important
Stage two – Drafting the strategy
The strategy was drafted using input from the extensive evidence base built in Stage One, and with guidance from the strategy governance groups.
Public consultation was held to seek feedback on the draft strategy. Stakeholders and interested members of the public were invited to provide feedback on the draft strategy via a survey or a written submission. 661 respondents engaged with the online survey and 62 written submissions were received.
Targeted meetings and webinars were held with 487 stakeholders. This included state and territory Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers and their senior executives, professional bodies and organisations, government agencies and healthcare consumers. The feedback received informed key changes to the final strategy.
Strategy governance
A robust governance structure was developed to provide advice and strategic direction on the development of the strategy.
Group | Membership | Accountabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth-State | ||
| Health Ministers Meeting (HMM) | Australian Government Minister for Health and Aged Care and state and territory government ministers responsible for health portfolios. |
|
| Health Chief Executives Forum (HCEF) | Chief executive officers from each Australian government health department. |
|
| Health Workforce Taskforce (HWT) | Officers from the Commonwealth, and all states and territories. |
|
| Strategy Steering Committee (SSC) | Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO)/Chief Nursing Officer from the Commonwealth and each Australian state and territory, as well as several specialists with expertise outside of nursing. |
|
| Other stakeholders / Non-Government | ||
| Strategy Advisory Group (SAG) | Co-Chairs: Commonwealth CNMO and Victorian CNMO; membership includes representatives from key stakeholder organisations with expertise in the nursing profession and nursing services. |
|
Group | Membership | Accountabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth-State | ||
| Health Ministers Meeting (HMM) | Australian Government Minister for Health and Aged Care and state and territory government ministers responsible for health portfolios. |
|
| Health Chief Executives Forum (HCEF) | Chief executive officers from each Australian government health department. |
|
| Health Workforce Taskforce (HWT) | Officers from the Commonwealth, and all states and territories. |
|
| Strategy Steering Committee (SSC) | Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO)/Chief Nursing Officer from the Commonwealth and each Australian state and territory, as well as several specialists with expertise outside of nursing. |
|
| Other stakeholders / Non-Government | ||
| Strategy Advisory Group (SAG) | Co-Chairs: Commonwealth CNMO and Victorian CNMO; membership includes representatives from key stakeholder organisations with expertise in the nursing profession and nursing services. |
|
| Member | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Adjunct Professor (Practice) Alison McMillan PSM (co-chair) | Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing |
| Adjunct Professor Karrie Long (co-chair) | Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer, Victoria, Safer Care Victoria |
Ms Kerri Gane (from 11/2023) Ms Donna Bonney (05/2023 – 11/2023) | Catholic Health Australia |
| Dr Gabrielle Koutoukidis | National Enrolled Nurse Advisory Council |
Ms Rebecca Badcock (from 07/2024) Ms Jacqueline Nash (01/2024 – 07/2024) Ms Wendy Zernike (06/2023 – 12/2023) | Aged and Community Care Providers Association |
Professor Rhonda Wilson (from 02/2024) Professor John Hurley (05/2023 – 02/2024) | Australian College of Mental Health Nurses |
| Ms Alison Weatherstone | Australian College of Midwives |
| Ms Leanne Boase | Australian College of Nurse Practitioners |
Ms Karen Grace (from 06/2024) Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward (05/2023 – 06/2024) | Australian College of Nursing |
Ms Tanya Vogt (from 04/2024) Adjunct Professor John Kelly (05/2023 – 04/2024) | Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council |
| Ms Annie Butler | Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation |
Ms Mia Dhillon (from 10/2024) Ms Karen Booth (05/2023 – 10/2024) | Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association |
| Ms Jacquie Wiley | Australian Private Hospitals Association |
| Dr Ali Drummond | Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives |
| Ms Jo Root | Consumers Health Forum |
| Professor Karen Strickland | Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery |
Captain John Kennedy (from 02/2025) GRPCPT Kathryn Stein (06/2023 – 12/2024) | Defence Force Nursing |
Ms Shannan Lewis (from 09/2024) Dr Naomi Malouf (08/2023 – 09/2024) Ms Katherine Isbister (05/2023 – 08/2023) | CRANAplus |
| Ms Carolyn Lees | Department of Veterans’ Affairs |
Ms Alessandra Peck (from 02/2024) Ms Annette Symes (07/2023 – 02/2024) | Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia |
| Ms Deb Blow | Tafe Directors |
| Adjunct Professor Shelley Nowlan | Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner |
| Mr Paul Healey | Health Services Union |