The Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales has delivered a landmark decision, granting significant pay increases to nearly 70,000 nurses and midwives who have long been described as the undervalued backbone of Australia's largest health system. This ruling addresses what the commission identified as systemic financial neglect spanning decades.
A Substantial Three-Year Pay Package
In a comprehensive three-year agreement, registered nurses and midwives will receive a 16 percent increase, with enrolled nurses getting 18 percent and nursing assistants receiving a substantial 28 percent rise. The first year's increase will be backdated to July 2025, followed by annual three percent increases in the subsequent two years. This marks the first major arbitration of nursing wage rates in over twenty years.
Commission Recognizes Essential Role and Gender Bias
Commission President Justice Ingmar Taylor emphasized the critical nature of these healthcare professionals, stating they are "essential, integral and irreplaceable to the system's function and effectiveness." He specifically noted that "nurses and midwives perform invisible skills and there is at least a real possibility that their work is undervalued for gender reasons," highlighting how the profession's composition—90 percent women—has contributed to decades of financial oversight.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park celebrated the decision as "a really positive day for NSW healthcare workers," while Treasurer Daniel Mookhey described it as "a fair outcome for all parties" that resulted from the Labor government reinstating the independent industrial umpire. Mookhey confirmed the upcoming budget would accommodate the billions required for these increases without specifying exact figures, though the annualized workforce cost stands at approximately $7.5 billion.
Union Response: Historic But Insufficient
The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association offered a tempered response to the announcement. Union head Michael Thwaites acknowledged it as "a historic record-breaking pay deal" but noted that registered nurses and midwives in NSW still trail behind their counterparts in other states. With starting salaries for registered nurses at $87,000—well below the ACT's $103,000, Queensland's $94,000, and Western Australia's $91,000—the union had originally sought a 35 percent increase.
Midwife Christie, a mother of two girls in Sydney, expressed that while the commission's recognition was welcome, the figures fell short of expectations. "We're just looking for more from this government and we won't stop asking for it. We deserve it," she told reporters, reflecting the ongoing financial pressures faced by healthcare professionals in one of Australia's most expensive cities.
Justice Taylor concluded his judgment by powerfully stating, "Nurses and midwives are the DNA of the NSW health system," underscoring their fundamental role in healthcare delivery. This decision, reached after two years of arbitration, represents a significant step toward addressing long-standing inequities in one of the nation's most vital professions.
