News
10 September, 2025
Landmark pay win for nurses and midwives
QUEENSLAND’S nurses and midwives are celebrating a landmark win, with the State Government reaching a bargaining consensus with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) and Australian Workers’ Union (AWU).
This will see the biggest wage increase for Queensland Health nurses and midwives since 2012, delivering nation-leading wages, enhanced career structures, and improved conditions, particularly for staff in rural and remote areas.
The agreement follows months of Protected Industrial Action (PIA) and 13 intensive conciliation sessions at the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC). During PIA, nurses focused on direct patient care while withholding non-clinical duties to pressure the government for a fair deal.
The new offer includes an 11 per cent pay increase over three years, a nation-first double-time pay for overtime for shift workers, and new allowances and pay points for more than 23 per cent of nurses and midwives.
It also enshrines 14 weeks’ paid parental leave, 10 days’ domestic violence leave, stronger protections against harassment, and enhanced rural graduate and leadership support. The QNMU and AWU will now seek in-principle agreement via a ballot of their members.
QNMU Secretary, Sarah Beaman, said that after more than 150 hours of bargaining and 13 conciliation sessions in the QIRC, the union achieved real improvements.
“This is a significant improvement on the Government’s earlier offer, adding a new pay point that will raise the earning potential of more than 23 per cent of nurses and midwives, as well as new and improved allowances and major improvements to conditions,” Ms Beaman said.
“This has been a long journey for our members and after months of industrial action and hundreds of hours of negotiations, we’ve secured an offer that better respects the work nurses and midwives do every day across Queensland Health. We are incredibly proud of the fight we have waged to secure this significantly improved offer.”
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Tim Nicholls, said the agreement followed robust negotiations and showed the commitment of all parties to reaching consensus in good faith.
“Queensland Health’s nurses and midwives are the beating heart of the health system, so I am pleased Queensland Health and the unions have worked constructively to reach a consensus focused on attracting, retaining, valuing and respecting nurses and midwives,” he said.
“The Government’s proposal will ensure nurses and midwives on the health frontline in public hospitals get ahead and stay ahead on wages, conditions, penalty rates and cost-of-living. This has the interests of nurses and midwives working in rural and remote areas at its core, with a commitment to expand the Remote Area Nursing Incentive Package.
“It is a significant achievement and I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all parties involved for their assistance in reaching this positive outcome.”
