Nurses reject Crisafulli's claim wage offer is ‘nation leading'
The premier said nurses and midwives employed by Queensland Health had been offered nation-leading pay conditions and that the budget, handed down last week, reflects the government's commitment to the sector and is in line with a key election promise.
'We are determined to make sure that we deliver what we said we're going to do [before the election], and that is making sure those nurses do have nation-leading pay conditions,' Crisafulli said.
'We will continue to sit down at the table and do it in a spirit that shows that we respect what they do.'
The state government revealed its public sector wages offer earlier this year, with 3 per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra 3 per cent in December 2027.
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But the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement and demanded the offer be increased.
The union also called for measures to address gender pay equity and workforce shortages.
Though the QNMU has met with the state government 36 times in the last six months, an agreement between the parties has not been reached.
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