The ACT Greens are proud to be delivering on the commitment both governing parties took to last year's election, to develop minimum staffing ratios between nurses or midwives and their patients.
"We stand with our city's nurses, who want to be supported to provide the best possible care to our community," said ACT Greens health spokesperson Johnathan Davis MLA.
"Our Greens in Cabinet and on the crossbench fully support today's budget announcement, which will hire more nurses and midwives, support health workers already on the front lines, and provide more care to patients.
"A sophisticated, flexible and nurse-led approach to ratios will benefit everyone, and we will increase staffing numbers to meet the ratios as they are determined with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation.
"Nurses and Midwives are truly essential workers and we know that they have been overworked for a long time. These ratios and this funding will start to address the imbalance.
"I am proud to be one of the six Greens Members in the Legislative Assembly who are all playing their parts to make the vision we took to the election a reality," Mr Davis said.
The ACT Greens are working to deliver the maternity services and health plans we took to the election, including:
- Developing a mandated minimum nurse/midwife to patient ratio framework
- Expanding birthing centre capacity
- Increasing midwife staffing levels across all maternity services
- Increasing funding for the Perinatal Wellbeing Centre
- Expansion and improvement of walk-in centres
- More end-of-life treatment and care options
- A hydrotherapy pool for Canberra's southside
- Dental care for low income families
