Nationals Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, has spoken up in Parliament in support of nurses and midwives, who rallied yesterday demanding a long-overdue 15 per cent pay rise.
Mr Kemp emphasised the crisis facing regional hospitals, where staff shortages have led to ward closures in Dorrigo, Bellingen, and Macksville.
"Nurses are asking for a necessary pay increase to ensure that we can attract and retain these essential workers to our regional communities," he said.
Kempsey's maternity ward has scaled back services, forcing local women to give birth outside their hometown.
Mr Kemp said while the government's relocation bonus for city nurses was a good start, it was "a band aid on a much bigger wound."
"This is a call for justice, a cry for respect and a question of what is fair and in some cases overdue."
"How can the government refuse to come to the table and negotiate in good faith?
"I urge the Government to listen. Listen to the voices who were right outside Parliament House," Mr Kemp concluded.
