The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) is the largest union in Australia, with 274,956 members in 2018. The union is run by

nurses Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

midwives A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

and assistants in nursing to advance the industrial, political and professional interests of its members. Established in 1924, the union was previously known as the Australian Nursing Federation. It is a federated union, with branches in each state and territory in Australia.

Leadership

All of the federal executive officers of the ANMF are qualified nurses and/or midwives. The ANMF has more than 249,000 members, employed in a wide range of enterprises in

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

and remote locations in both in the

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

and the private sectors, including

hospitals A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

, health and community services,

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, aged care, GP clinics, schools, the armed forces, statutory authorities,

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

, offshore territories and industry.

Campaigns

The ANMF runs campaigns for all members throughout Australia, such as its ongoing campaign to legally mandate staffing ratios for aged care. The ANMF has a range of national policies, guidelines, and position statements on nursing, health, and social justice issues for the guidance of members in their practice and at their workplaces.

Federal structure

The ANMF is federally registered. Most branches also have a state-registered union, operating as the union in the state industrial relations system. The NSW branch operates as the

New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) is a trade union which represents nurses and Midwifery, midwives in both the public and private sectors of New South Wales, Australia. It was formed in 1931 and has a membership of ov ...

; the Queensland branch operates as the

Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union, officially the ''Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union of Employees'', (QNMU) is a trade union that represents nurses and midwives in both the public and private sectors of Queensland, Australia. It w ...

International representation

The ANMF represents Australian nursing internationally through links with other national and international nursing organisations, professional associations and the International Labour Organisations. The ANMF is a member of the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation and the South Pacific Nurses Forum and is affiliated to the

Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and l ...

, International Centre for Trade Union Rights, and APHEDA, also known as Union Aid Abroad, the overseas aid agency of the Australian trade union movement.

References

External links

ANMF website
{{Authority control Nursing organisations in Australia Trade unions established in 1924 Healthcare trade unions in Australia 1924 establishments in Australia National Rural Health Alliance organisations Australian Public Sector Trade Unions