Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation is the largest trade union in Australia with over 300,000 members. The union is run by nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing/personal carers to advance the industrial, political and professional interests of the nursing and midwifery professions. ANMF is a federated union, with branches in each state and territory in Australia.
History
The Victorian Trained Nurses’ Association was founded in 1901 when nurses worked 52 hours per week and no qualifications were required. The Federation of state organisations was founded in 1924 and the first secretary was Evelyn Paget Evans who was also the secretary of the Australasian Trained Nurses Association and the General secretary of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (which was then called the Australian Massage AssociationLeadership
All of the Federal Executive and Federal Council of the ANMF are qualified nurses and/or midwives.ANMF members are employed in a wide range of enterprises in urban, rural and remote locations in both in the public and the private sectors, including hospitals, health and community services, schools, universities, aged care, GP clinics, schools, the armed forces, statutory authorities, local government, 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.