Midwives, nursing students should be paid for placement work, say Greens
Greens candidate for Wollongong Cath Blakey said the unpaid placements created a barrier to attracting people to these jobs.
"The Greens want to make sure that students on these placements are paid the same wage as a junior assistant in Nursing," Ms Blakey said.
"With the heightened cost of living, it's crazy to expect people to fund their own placement."
Story by Glen Humphries at the Illawarra Mercury, 15 March 2023.
Greens announce paid placements for health workers in training
15 March 2023
Cath Blakey, Greens Councillor and state candidate for Wollongong joined the Mothers and Midwives of the Illawarra community picnic to launch the Greens commitment to announce paid placements for nurses, midwives and paramedics in training.
Read moreIllawarra women still being told abortion is illegal by some doctors: health advocate
On Monday, the NSW Greens said they would push for abortion to be provided at every public hospital in NSW, and introduce a statewide directory service of contraception and abortion providers if they party hold the balance of power after the March 25 election.
Launching the policy, Federal Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said it was "still unacceptably difficult and expensive for people to access abortions" "Access to abortion is a geographic, class and racial lottery," she said. "A vast majority of people in NSW support abortion being provided in all public hospitals, just like they supported the decriminalisation of abortion. "Governments must listen to the community and treat abortion services like other healthcare - provided through our public hospitals, fee-free and covered by Medicare."
Story by Kate McIlwain at the Illawarra Mercury, 14 March 2023.