Our record and our future
The Maddy Harradence Team is an experienced, skilled and united team of ANMF Job Reps, current Branch Councillors, experienced elected officials and Branch staff who have proven their capability and commitment while acting in elected official roles.
Like you, we’re nurses and midwives, and some have worked as personal care workers. We understand your issues, because they’re ours too.
We’re committed to building on ANMF’s strong member wins across the public, private acute and aged care sectors. What we do today must improve the working lives of nurses, midwives and carers and your ability to care for our community.
Why vote for the Maddy Harradence Team?
Our record
We have a proven track record of working for members. Here are some of the wins we have been involved in while working for the ANMF:
1. Union growth and low union fees
Growing our Branch to 111,000 members – the largest branch of the largest union in the country. With great numbers comes great power; members are stronger together.
No increase in union fees since 2019 to help members with the cost of living.
2. Ratios
Finalised the Safe Patient Care Act classification review relating to Victorian public hospitals through intensive negotiations with the Victorian Government. This agreed-in-principle outcome will lead to improved ratios and more nurses and midwives in 23 hospitals and 11 emergency departments, particularly in outer metro, regional and rural regional hospitals.
Negotiated the implementation of the current third tranche of improved public sector ratios. These improvements reflect better ratios in areas like maternity, ICU, emergency departments, coronary care units and high dependency units. The next increase will occur in December, with full implementation by July 2026.
Campaigned to improve federal aged care legislation that has put nurses back into private nursing homes.
3. Wages, workloads, working conditions
The historic 2024–28 public sector EBA 28.4% (compounded) pay rise, new and increased allowances and more than 70 improvements to conditions and entitlements. ANMF broke through Victorian Government wages policy because we leveraged off the outcome of the ANMF aged care wages case interim decision which found nursing and care work had been undervalued on the basis of gender.
Leading negotiations for the proposed 2025–28 public sector mental health agreement, which seeks to closely align with the general public sector pay outcomes, embed bed-based staffing levels in the EBA for the first time, and to introduce a new three-level nurse unit manager structure.
Leading EBA campaigns at St Vincent’s Private Acute, Healthe Care, Epworth and St John of God with improved pay, conditions and staffing levels. This included supporting trailblazing members at St Vincent’s Private for 104 days of protected industrial action, including rolling walkouts. We’ve laid the foundations for private acute members with enterprise agreements about to expire like those at Ramsay and Cabrini.
Leading small but fierce private sector EBA campaigns like Epworth Medical Imaging, achieving improved pay offers and equitable conditions with their larger private counterparts. Supported more trailblazing members at Bolton Clarke for 64 days of protected industrial action.
Ensured the historic pay rises for private aged care nurses and carers, based on the Federal ANMF wages case, made it into members’ pockets.
4. Midwifery/maternity services
Key stakeholder in governance group development and implementation of successful regional and metro midwifery models of care across Victoria that are part of sustainable maternity services.This includes public sector homebirth models of care. We have listened to and will advocate for the ways that midwives can and want to work and provide care.
Embedded a midwifery leadership and career structure into the 2024–28 public sector enterprise agreement.
Championed endorsed midwives and their ability to work to their full scope of practice.
Advocated for the abolition of the formulary and the ability of endorsed midwives and nurse practitioners to prescribe MS-2Step.
Worked with employers in implementing and advocating for expansion of midwife- and nurse-led sexual and reproductive health clinics.
Advocated for safe, quality maternity services for women and midwives that are accessible close to home across the state, which includes recognition of the work of unqualified neonates.
A member of the Ministerial Victorian Maternity Taskforce.
5. Put women’s health on the agenda
The ANMF member survey, designed to inform our submission to the Victorian Government’s landmark Inquiry into Women’s Pain, received 800 responses in four days. We organised a Women’s Pain Forum to discuss the findings to further inform our advocacy. The government noted that nurses and midwives made up the majority of healthcare workers who participated in the consultation. Current ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Maddy Harradence represents members on the Victorian Women’s Health Advisory Council, which was established to guide government investment and focus on women's health. The Maddy Harradence Team is committed to advancing the women’s health agenda.
6. Future workforce
Successfully negotiated with the Victorian Government to secure full funding of the RUSON and RUSOM employment model.
Campaigned for the Victorian Government to ensure that nurses and midwives undertaking postgraduate study have access to financial support through grants and scholarships.
Lobbied hard to secure paid clinical placements for student nurses and midwives.
7. Private aged care
Persisted with our advocacy around changes to Victoria’s drugs and poisons legislation so that only registered and enrolled nurses must administer medications in residential aged care. From July 2026, this new requirement will protect residents, reduce avoidable public hospital admissions and reduce the unfair demands on personal care workers.
8. Member representation and support
Implemented a 24/7 member query lodgement system which enabled quality, timely and consistent advice for members.
Represented thousands of members in upholding their individual employment and workplace rights, including representing at disciplinary matters, prosecuting discrimination matters, securing flexible work arrangements, organisational change, and regulatory compliance matters such as AHPRA notifications and registration.
Launched SafeHaven (family violence information and referral website) and legal support package for members experiencing family violence.
Why vote for the Maddy Harradence Team?
Our vision for the future
The ANMF (Vic Branch) is the biggest branch of the largest union in the country, with a proud history of standing up to employers and governments. We will continue that legacy for the next generations. If elected, these are the Maddy Harradence Team’s priorities:
1. Strong wage outcomes for all members
Nurses, midwives and carers are an essential workforce and should not have to worry about the cost of living. We will continue to negotiate strong wage outcomes for every member no matter where you work. We’ll keep using the public sector EBA and the 28.4% pay increase as our benchmark agreement for all negotiations. We’ll also keep supporting the Federal ANMF wage case for a 35% increase for members who work in GP clinics and small workplaces who are employed under the Award. We’ll keep ANMF fees low and value for money, and expand member benefits like clinical placement and conference grants.
2. Decisive action on violence and aggression
Every member should return to their loved ones safely and unharmed because employers implement consistent and effective measures across the system to prevent violence and aggression. Violence has no place in our healthcare system, but we know it affects too many of our members. We will advocate strongly for an extension of the WorkSafe Victoria healthcare pilot, to hold employers to account for making our workplaces safer, and to reform occupational health and safety legislation and policy.
3. Safe staffing, expanded ratios
Every member, no matter where they work, should be able to go to work and care for their patients without worrying about understaffing. We will work to improve and expand public sector ratios, embed nurse-to-consumer ratios in public mental health in legislation, and secure ratios in private hospitals.
4. Responsive member service and representation
Because every member matters, they’ll know ANMF has their back when they access advice, support and representation for a workplace or individual work issue. We want to continue strong democratic processes like the annual delegates conference but also build on opportunities to engage and organise smaller workplaces and other sectors like private acute and private aged care.
5. Retention not just recruitment
There have been great incentives to join our professions in recent years. We know however that we also need innovative initiatives which will help to retain early career and experienced nurses, midwives and carers. We will work to improve rostering and flexible work arrangements, to maintain full funding for the public sector student employment programs, RUSONs and RUSOMs, and to implement the EN student employment program and introduce the program into the private acute sector. Our initiatives will also include improving career paths and the ability for nurses and midwives to work to their full scope of practice in nurse- and midwife-led models of care.
6. Equity for working parents
Members should have improved parental leave access and a greater amount of parental leave. Some private sector enterprise agreements still do not include paid parental leave. We know that members continue to have flexible work arrangements refused. No member should be worse off, forced to return early to work, or experience a superannuation hit just because they have children. We will work to negotiate improved leave entitlements and superannuation on paid and unpaid parental leave in EBAs no matter where you work.
7. Representing members’ interests
Our team knows that ANMF (Vic Branch) members are the union. We will listen to members and put you at the centre of all policy, reform and practice work – because when nurses, midwives and carers are discussed, their voices should be at the table. We will support and encourage members to become Job Reps and Health and Safety Reps so you and your colleagues can participate in the processes to guide our union and campaign for changes that will improve your working lives, improve your ability to provide safe patient care, and improve the health, mental health and aged care systems.
8. Keeping ANMF unaffiliated and politically independent
ANMF (Vic Branch) members have benefited from our union’s status as unaffiliated with any political party. We will ensure that remains the case. We will use our strength and influence to hold governments, no matter who is in power, to account for their election promises.
9. Being courageous on issues of social justice and environmental sustainability
Delivery on strong wages outcomes and conditions are critical but our members care about other issues too. We’ll keep health services accountable for the waste they produce through our new Sustainability Nurse/Midwife Representative provisions. We will continue to advocate for health to be at the centre of climate change policy. We will be a progressive voice for social issues that matter to our members including First Nations justice, and compassionate treatment of refugees and other vulnerable Australians through political advocacy, refugee internship programs and sponsorships.
If elected, the Maddy Harradence Team will continue our work everyday to make your working life better and Victoria’s healthcare system better for your patients and our communities.