Congratulations to all ANMF members, past and present for reaching this remarkable milestone – 100 years old, 100 years strong!

Over the years, our union has grown to become the largest in the country, now boasting a membership of 326,785 strong. Together, we’ve made transformative strides that have improved working conditions for nurses and midwives while enhancing the care provided to all Australians across the country.

Our accomplishments span decades – from establishing nursing and midwifery schools in the 1920s to the transition into university education during the 1970s and early 80s. We’ve fought for and won nurse-to-patient ratios, penalty rates, and better pay and conditions. We have been instrumental in lobbying for and supporting national registration and the establishment of the Australian Nursing Council (ANC) in the late 1980s and early 90s; and later the establishment of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS), Ahpra and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). Since Nurse Practitioners were first recognised, the ANMF has played a leading role in advocating for expanded scopes of practice and advancing the role. More recently, we have focused on improving the scope of practice for all nurses, midwives, and nurse practitioners, while also achieving significant progress in securing fair wages for aged care workers and better conditions in aged care facilities, including mandated care minutes.

This year we also launched the Nurse Midwife Health Program Australia (NMHPA), to provide free, confidential, and independent support for nurses, midwives, and students facing psychological health issues.

None of this would have been possible without the collective strength of our members, standing united for better outcomes.

To mark this incredible journey, we’ve produced a special documentary reflecting on our past and present accomplishments. Many of you have already seen a teaser for the documentary on social media or at delegate conferences, and I’ve been moved by your supportive feedback and also your reflections on what our union means to you. It’s clear that this documentary resonates with the shared passion and commitment that drives us all.

We are excited to announce that the full documentary will be launched through a virtual premiere on 23 October. It promises to be a celebration of everything that makes the ANMF extraordinary, and we hope you’ll join us for this landmark event.

Watch out for notifications on ANMF’s social media and on the website for details.

While this centennial year has been a moment to reflect on our progress, it is also a time to look forward to the work still ahead.

Inspired by our previous achievements and the legacy of those that came before us, we continue the important work on numerous priorities. These include advancing workforce reforms, including making certain we have a national nursing workforce strategy that tackles recruitment and retention issues, working with the Federal Government on strengthening Medicare, ensuring nurses and midwives work to their full scope of practice, promoting equitable access to healthcare for all Australians no matter their circumstances, and advocating for gender equity.

Here’s to 100 years of strength, unity, and progress – and to many more years of making a difference together.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.

Share this story