Queensland's nurses and midwives ramp up industrial action as pay negotiations break down
Stage two of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) industrial action involves up to 45,000 workers refusing to do tasks not related to clinical care at public hospitals and healthcare facilities around the state.
As part of the action nurses are not working overtime without four hours' notice, making and cleaning beds or transferring stable patients.
They have also pledged to take breaks in full.
Enterprise bargaining negotiations began in January, with the union seeking a 13 per cent pay rise over three years, while the government offered 11.
QNMU secretary Sarah Beaman said the government was breaking its pre-election promise to deliver nation-leading pay and conditions.
"Nurses and midwives are holding the system together through sheer will, determination and skill, but they are over the government's gaslighting and they are over their stalling tactics," she said.
"They are telling the government that they need to listen. They are at breaking point and they've had enough.
Deputy Premier and Industrial Relations Minister Jarrod Bleijie refused to comment specifically on the strike action.
"That protected action is a matter for the nurses. As I said, we continue to negotiate in good faith," he said.
He added he didn't think it would affect other upcoming public sector wage agreement negotiations.
"I think there's over 27 in the next three years. So, in all of those situations we'll negotiate, as always, in good faith."
Ms Beaman said she remained optimistic a deal could be struck.
"There is the option to go to further actions and stage three. However, I am hopeful that the government will listen," she said.
Speaking outside the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, patient Colin Hackwaad said the negotiations were about more than just money.
"I think everyone's struggling, and [nurses] do some really awful shifts, 24-hour rotations, and through time, they've taken away a lot of the benefits," he said.
"They've been given a solid pay rate but taken benefits away, so as time goes on, you start to say 'hang on, you're not getting a good deal anymore'."
Richard Harrison, who was visiting his father-in-law at the hospital, said practitioners at the facility did a "fantastic job" and he supported the strike action.
"The care in that hospital is awesome," he said.
"Without them, where would we be?
The government has claimed an offer made by the union last week was the first formal one it had received, although the union rejected that suggestion.
"This is an example of the government actually misleading [the public]," Ms Beaman said.
"The QNMU has been negotiating with the Department of Health since January, and there have been numerous items put forward as part of that negotiation."
She said under the government's latest offer, up to 66 per cent of nurses and midwives would not have the nation-leading pay and conditions that had been promised.
"The premier was very clear that he says he respects nurses and midwives, but now he needs to walk the talk. Respect is more than words, it is actions," Ms Beaman said.
Deputy Opposition leader Cameron Dick said Premier David Crisafulli needed to follow through on a "clear and unambiguous promise".
"Our hard-working frontline heroes in health just expect the premier to deliver on his promise which was nation-leading wages and conditions," he said.
"That's all nurses and midwives have asked of the government."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
29 minutes ago
- News.com.au
ASX biotechs join global race for cell therapy breakthroughs
ASX biotechs target global cell therapy market, projected to reach ~US$48bn by 2034 Arovella the only ASX-listed biotech delving into CAR iNKT therapies and one of few globally Chimeric aims to 'break new ground' in treatment of solid tumours with CAR-T and NK cell assets Cell therapies represent a promising frontier in modern medicine, offering potential to treat, and in some cases cure diseases previously considered untreatable. By using living cells, either from the patient (autologous) or a donor (allogeneic), cell therapies aim to repair, replace, or enhance biological functions within the body. Originally pioneered for blood cancers through technologies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, the field is rapidly expanding into solid tumours, autoimmune conditions, and neurological diseases. Australia has close ties to CAR T-cell therapy development. Melbourne-based Cell Therapies Pty Ltd, the country's largest Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) licensed cell and gene therapy manufacturer, was the commercial production partner for Novartis's Kymriah – the first CAR T-cell therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017. While the science remains complex, advances in manufacturing, engineering, and clinical design are making next-generation cell therapies more accessible and scalable, positioning them as a key pillar of future healthcare. Several ASX biotechs are positioning themselves at the forefront of cell therapies to capture a share of the global market, which accounted for ~US$6.04 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to close in on US$48bn by 2034, growing at a CAGR of almost 23%. In particular focus here is the treatment of solid tumours, which account for 90% of all cancers but have so far proven difficult to treat with cell therapies. Arovella in rare biotech club targeting CAR-iNKT therapies Arovella Therapeutics (ASX:ALA) is the only ASX-listed biotech delving into CAR Invariant Natural Killer T-cells (iNKT) therapies, and one of only a few globally. CEO Dr Michael Baker told Stockhead iNKT cells were distinct from the more familiar natural killer, or NK cells, which along with T-cells had limitations. T-cells can't be used off-the-shelf unless they are genetically engineered. While NK cells can quickly eliminate abnormal cells such as tumour cells, iNKT cells go further. Not only do they kill like T and NK cells, but they also trigger a longer-lasting response by activating other key parts of the immune system. Because iNKT cells recognise foreign threats differently – unlike classic CAR-T cells – it has been shown in clinical trials that iNKT cells do not cause complications like graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) when administered from a healthy donor to a patient. The FDA has approved seven CAR-T therapies to date, all for blood cancers, but no iNKT treatments. While over 120 global trials are investigating CAR-NK therapies for blood and solid tumours, CAR iNKT research remains limited. Baker said most cell therapies use the patient's own cells (autologous), but this was costly, slow, and relies on compromised cells. Arovella is taking an allogeneic approach, using healthy donor cells to create off-the-shelf, frozen doses shipped to clinics as needed in a 'ready-to-use' model. Its lead therapeutic ALA-101 combines iNKT cells with a CAR that targets CD19, a protein commonly found on B-cell blood cancers like lymphoma and leukaemia. One of Arovella's next key milestones is to apply to the FDA for its first-in-human trial, enrolling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukaemia patients. The company's other key goal is also tackling solid tumours. "The first approved blood cancer targeting CAR-T products have demonstrated just how important cell therapies will be for cancer treatment," Baker said. "We look forward to using our CAR-iNKT cell platform to expand upon that work and aim to create products capable of increasing access and reducing costs. "There is a lot of great science that will continue to advance the off-the-shelf cell therapy sector. "That is why we continue to scour the globe for new IP to build into our CAR-iNKT platform, to either strengthen our CAR-iNKT cells or to broaden the cancer types that we can target.' Imugene also aims to crack solid tumours Imugene (ASX:IMU) is developing cell-based immunotherapies, including allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies, oncolytic viruses and B-cell vaccines, to address both blood cancers and solid tumours. The company's lead cell therapy candidate azercabtagene zapreleucel (azer-cel) is an off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy targeting CD19, a protein commonly expressed on malignant B-cells. There are no allogeneic (off the shelf) CAR T therapies approved to date. Azer-cel is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a hard-to-treat form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In early-phase studies, azer-cel has demonstrated promising results, including high complete response rates and durable remissions in patients who have previously relapsed after autologous CAR T-cell therapies. "We are very pleased with the continued positive data coming from the azer-cel trial, which further reinforces its potential as a treatment for lymphoma patients who have failed on several previous therapies including auto CAR T," CEO and managing director Leslie Chong told Stockhead. Imugene's next-generation cell therapy platform OnCARlytics is designed to help overcome one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment, making solid tumours visible to the immune system. The approach combines Imugene's proprietary CF33 oncolytic virus, which selectively infects and destroys cancer cells, with CD19-targeting CAR T-cells. The CF33 infects tumour cells and forces them to express CD19, a marker typically found on blood cancer cells but absent on solid tumours. By introducing CD19 into the tumour environment, the therapy effectively tags the cancer, allowing CD19-specific CAR T-cells to recognise and attack the tumour. Imugene's pipeline also includes multiple immunotherapy B-cell vaccine candidates, which involve inducing the body to produce polyclonal antibodies against specific tumour-associated antigens. The company's PD1-Vaxx is designed to generate antibodies that block the PD-1 receptor, potentially mimicking the effects of checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda). The company recently announced the first patient had been dosed in Australia as part of an investigator-sponsored Phase II Neo-POLEM clinical trial, which is evaluating PD1-Vaxx's potential to improve treatment outcomes for patients with mismatch repair-deficient/microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-high) colorectal cancer. This aggressive cancer subtype accounts for ~15% of all colorectal cancer cases. Chimeric advances cell therapy assets in solid tumours Chimeric Therapeutics (ASX:CHM) has three CAR T and NK cell assets in clinical trials. It has an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial for its novel CHM CDH17 CAR T-cell therapy targeting advanced colorectal cancer and Neuroendocrine tumours of the midgut. Their second program CHM CLTX CAR T is in a phase 1B clinical trial in recurrent/progressive glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. CHM CORE-NK is a potentially best-in-class, clinically validated NK cell platform. Data from the complete phase 1A clinical trial, demonstrated safety and efficacy in blood cancers and solid tumours. Two additional Phase 1B clinical trials investigating CHM CORE-NK in combination regimens have been initiated in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). "We're excited to be actively advancing in the clinic and pushing through dose levels as we break new ground in the solid tumour CAR T-cell therapy space," CEO Dr Rebecca McQualter told Stockhead. Prescient advancing cell therapy platforms While predominately focused on PTX-100, its first-in-class compound with the ability to block an important cancer growth enzyme geranylgeranyl transferase-1 (GGT-1), Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) is also advancing its proprietary OmniCAR and CellPryme platforms. OmniCar has potential to allow CAR T therapy cells to be more targeted, safer, more effective, cost-effective and of longer duration. CellPryme is a complementary application to OmniCar split into two components. CellPryme-M produces superior cells that are more potent and last longer, aiming to double tumour control. Meanwhile, CellPryme-A acts as an adjuvant therapy, increasing the expansion of CAR T-cells and enhancing their ability to penetrate the tumour. AdAlta adopts East to West cellular immunotherapy strategy AdAlta (ASX:1AD) and venture capital firm SYNthesis BioVentures Fund (SYNBV) launched AdCella in 2024 to adopt an East to West strategy and bring cutting-edge cellular immunotherapies from Asia, particularly China, into Western markets. SYNBV was co-founded by Professor Andrew Wilks, who alongside Amplia (ASX:ATX) CEO Dr Chris Burns received the 2024 Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation for co-inventing momelotinib, an FDA-approved treatment for myelofibrosis. The strategy leverages AdAlta managing director and CEO Dr Tim Oldham's deep expertise in cellular immunotherapies and extensive operational experience in Asia to identify and advance promising Asian cellular therapies that can be transitioned into regulated western markets. Oldham was previously CEO of Cell Therapies and said he'd been fortunate to witness firsthand the rapid evolution of China's biotech sector and remarkable progress in cellular immunotherapies for cancer treatment over the past 15 years. The East to West cellular immunotherapy strategy for cancer is now a core growth priority for AdAlta and a key driver of future pipeline growth and value creation.
ABC News
40 minutes ago
- ABC News
AHPRA takes action against more than 50 practitioners in medicinal cannabis crackdown
The health-practitioner watchdog has put medicinal cannabis prescribers on notice, saying poor prescribing practices and surging consumer demand are leading to "significant" patient harm. AHPRA today released new guidelines urging prescribers to put patient wellbeing above profits, as medicinal cannabis prescriptions rise rapidly due to telehealth companies providing a one-stop shop for quick access to medicinal cannabis. The regulator said some businesses were using "aggressive and sometimes misleading advertising that targets vulnerable people" and online questionnaires that coached patients to say "the right thing" to justify prescribing. The ABC can reveal AHPRA has now taken action against 57 medical practitioners, pharmacists and nurses over medicinal cannabis prescribing practices. "We're currently investigating a further 60 right now as we speak. And for those that choose not to meet our requirements, we will be knocking on their door in the near future," AHPRA chief executive Justin Untersteiner said. The crackdown comes after a series of ABC investigations revealed patients with a history of psychosis had been hospitalised after being prescribed medicinal cannabis and one patient had died following inappropriate prescribing. The investigations also revealed concerns from doctors who said they were being treated like drug dealers and pressured to write medicinal cannabis scripts by the telehealth companies. While AHPRA said the majority of practitioners do the right thing, the agency uncovered half a dozen who issued more than 10,000 scripts in a six-month period, including one who issued over 17,000, or one every four minutes in a working day. Mr Untersteiner said the regulator held serious concerns for patient safety due to excessive and inappropriate prescribing. "We've seen patients present to emergency departments with medicinal-cannabis-induced psychosis, and this can particularly happen where there are patients that have pre-existing mental health conditions or substance abuse or other issues like that. "Another area that worries us is … prescribing excessive quantities or even prescribing multiple different prescriptions to a single patient so they can try which one suits them. "Again, that's completely inappropriate," he said. The new AHPRA guidelines explicitly state that except for childhood epilepsy, muscle spasms and pain associated with multiple sclerosis, cancer and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, "there is little evidence to support the use of medicinal cannabis". According to Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) data, the main conditions medicinal cannabis is being prescribed for include insomnia, chronic pain and anxiety. The guidelines state medicinal cannabis should not be prescribed as a first-line treatment and should only be used when there is an evidence-supported clinical indication and when other treatments have not worked. They also insist patients be thoroughly assessed, proper medical records be taken, and an exit strategy is developed to help patients stop taking the medication. Most medicinal cannabis products prescribed in Australia are unapproved, meaning they have not been assessed by the TGA for safety, quality, performance or effectiveness, something patients must now be informed of during consultations. The majority of cannabis products prescribed in Australia also contain THC, which causes psychoactive effects and makes them Schedule 8 medicines due to the risks of misuse, abuse and potentially addictive properties. "We don't prescribe opioids to every patient who asks for them and medicinal cannabis is no different. Patient demand is no indicator of clinical need," Medical Board of Australia Chair, Dr Susan O'Dwyer said. AHPRA and the Medical and Nursing and Midwifery Boards said they were working with other regulators like the TGA and may investigate practitioners with high rates of prescribing even without receiving complaints. Patients and doctors are encouraged to report unsafe practices to help protect others by calling the AHPRA Notifications Hotline on 1300 361 041.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
How a 3D printed aorta helped surgeons replace a 'ticking time bomb' inside a man's chest
Surgeons have replaced most of a man's aorta in a life-saving operation after scans revealed he was walking around with a "ticking time bomb" inside his chest. The Queensland man's aorta, the biggest blood vessel in the body, had ballooned to about four times the usual size, leaving it in danger of rupturing — a medical emergency likely to have cost him his life. Doctors used a life-sized 3D printed model of the man's dangerously enlarged aorta to prepare for the high-stakes surgery at The Prince Charles Hospital, on Brisbane's northside, last month. In their most complicated anatomical model so far, engineers and industrial designers developed the replica at Brisbane's Herston Biofabrication Institute, using computer software and scans of the patient to guide them. It then took a cutting-edge printer almost four days to create the 3D reproduction, allowing the medical specialists to better plan for the operation on the man, aged in his late 50s, because it gave them a deeper insight into his anatomy before they put scalpel to skin. Without it, they would have had to rely on two-dimensional scans. The cane-shaped aorta starts at the heart's main pumping chamber, then travels upwards and curves over the heart in what's known as the aortic arch, before descending through the chest, down through the abdomen and ending near the navel. It delivers oxygen-enriched blood to the body. Vascular surgeon Samantha Peden said the diameter of the patient's aorta at the arch was about 8 centimetres, compared to the average size of 2-3cm. His had stretched way beyond normal size because of a disorder with his connective tissue, a condition which is yet to be definitively diagnosed. He had surgery in 2017 to repair a tear of the aorta, but the artery continued to expand over time, to the point it needed to be replaced as the wall thinned. "The risk is, if you leave it, it can rupture. Most patients would die," Dr Peden said. The operation itself was not without significant danger. During the procedure, the patient's body had to be cooled so he could be put under circulatory arrest — a condition which involves temporarily stopping the heart to prevent it from pumping blood throughout the body. Blood flow is stopped for about 20 minutes. "They can wake up with a stroke or they might not wake up," Dr Peden said. Paraplegia, kidney and liver failure are also possibilities. In the nine-hour procedure, a team of vascular and heart surgeons, operating in tandem to reduce the length of the surgery, replaced the patient's upper aorta with a synthetic graft made from material Dr Peden describes as akin to flexible, waterproof jackets. Almost three weeks later, the patient is still in hospital but out of intensive care, and preparing for intensive rehabilitation. "He's recovering really well, hasn't had any major complications, so we're all really happy with his progress," Dr Peden said. "There's no evidence of paraplegia. He's got full function to his arms and legs. The man will have the lower part of his aorta replaced later this year. Dr Peden likened the operation to "fancy plumbing", but it's a highly specialised procedure only carried out in about "five or six" centres across Australia and New Zealand because of its complexity. The Prince Charles Hospital team performs just six full aortic replacements on average a year. Industrial designer Liam Georgeson, who is based at the Herston Biofabrication Institute, worked on the 3D model of the patient's aorta using a digital anatomy printer. "It has the ability to print many different materials into the one print," Mr Georgeson said. The former electrician said the institute was working with vascular surgeons to develop patient replicas of blood vessels connected to pumps, designed to copy the rhythmic pumping action of the heart. This allows surgeons to practise on models with simulated blood flow before operating on a patient.
