ACN’s 2023-24 Pre-Budget submission asks the Australian Government to:

• Upskill the aged care nursing workforce through an extension of the Aged Care Transition to Practice Program and 5000 scholarships for RNs to undertake a Graduate Certificate in Aged Care scholarships.
• Support overseas-trained nurses to live and work in Australia, through changing the National Law to allow the current providers who offer an approved ANMAC bridging course for internationally qualified nurses to continue to do so beyond 2023.
• Support nurse leaders to undertake leadership programs, including 3000 scholarships for nurse managers to undertake ACN’s new NUM Leadership Program, as well as 600 additional scholarships for the Mid-Career and Nurse Executive Leadership Programs.
• Strengthen the nursing workforce in the Pacific, for 200 nurses in the 15 Pacific Nations to undertake ACN postgraduate certification online and 1000 Pacific nurses to undertake the online Principles of Emergency Care course.

The Collaborative Arrangement Determination for Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Midwives has been reviewed and a new sunset date of 2022 has been approved. The Collaborative Arrangement Determination was due to sunset this year, which would have meant NPs were no longer required to form a Collaborative Arrangement with a medical practitioner.

Continuing with collaborative arrangements seems to ignore the evidence base available. The implications of continuing the Collaborative Arrangement Determination are critical to the nurse practitioner workforce and their capacity to increase access to care for patients, particularly in marginalised and vulnerable populations.

This Engaging your Member of Parliament Information Sheet details how to prepare to have a meeting with a politician and steps to build and maintain the relationship as you advocate for your issue.