The Australian College of Nursing is calling on the Federal Government to invest in unlocking the full potential of the nation’s 414,000 registered nurses, to address mounting healthcare pressures.
ACN today released its Pre-Budget Submission 2026-27, presenting six evidence-based investments designed to tackle falling vaccination rates, projected nursing shortages, hospital waiting times, and access barriers facing vulnerable communities.
“Nurses are Australia’s largest, most trusted, and most geographically distributed health profession – yet they remain blocked from working to their full scope of practice by outdated funding models and regulatory barriers,” said ACN CEO, Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz FACN.
“Multiple government reviews support this view. We have the evidence. It’s time for action.”
The submission comes as Australia faces unprecedented healthcare challenges: an ageing population, growing rates of chronic conditions, hospital waitlists at record highs, declining vaccination rates amid disease outbreaks, and acute workforce shortages.
Key government reviews – including Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce and the Review of General Practice Incentives reports – have all reached the same conclusion: Australia must enable all health professionals to work to their full scope of practice.
ACN is calling for support for nurses in six areas:
- Reverse declining vaccination rates ($539 million): Establish nurse-led vaccination clinics and create a Nurse Payment Administrator to improve access and restore immunisation coverage
- Retain and grow the nursing workforce ($20 million): Prevent a projected shortfall of 70,000 nurses by 2035 through transition programs and retirement support
- Expand medicine access ($52 million): Scale registered nurse prescribing by educating 2,500 RN prescribers to improve medication access in underserved areas
- Unlock primary care capacity ($275 million): Establish nurse-led primary care practices and provide baseline practice payments to improve access
- Reduce aged care hospital admissions ($5.2 million): Provide scholarships for aged care nurses and scale nurse practitioner-led models to prevent avoidable hospitalisations
- Expand hospital capacity: Use National Productivity Fund payments to incentivise states and territories to enable advanced nursing roles including nurse anaesthetists and nurse endoscopists
“The rollout of Urgent Care Clinics and bulk billing incentives is working, but major challenges persist,” Professor Zeitz said. “Vaccination rates are falling, with cases of influenza and measles on the rise. Hospital wait times continue to climb. Older Australians face unnecessary hospitalisations.
“These reforms will deliver the greatest impact for underserved populations – rural, regional and remote communities, First Nations communities, older Australians, those experiencing homelessness, and people facing disadvantage.”
The submission emphasises that nurses already complement the vital work of general practices and pharmacies, leading in wound management, ear care, diabetes management, skin cancer detection, chronic pain management, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
Nurses must be supported and funded to work independently to provide this quality care.
“At the heart of these reforms is one principle: enable nurses to work using all of their skills and knowledge,” Professor Zeitz said. “The evidence shows that nurses who work to their optimal scope of practice are more satisfied and likely to remain employed and engaged in the profession.
“Nurses work alongside all health professionals to deliver multidisciplinary team-based care. Nurses can ease the pressure on general practices. Nurses can help reduce clinician burnout. Nurses can serve communities where GPs are not available.
“Nurses are the solution.”
ACN’s Pre-Budget Submission is available here.
Contact
e: acn.media@acn.edu.au
