The ANMF (Vic Branch) is gravely concerned about reports of a huge reduction in the number of graduate nursing/midwifery positions in the Victorian public healthcare system in 2026. ANMF understands from discussions with the Department of Health that more than 2000 graduate nurses and midwives will potentially be left without a graduate position in 2026, up from around 350 in 2025. This is unacceptable, for those graduates and for the future of our nursing and midwifery workforce.
Thousands of students signed up for the Victorian Government's free nursing and midwifery degrees in 2023 and 2024, heeding the government's own call to strengthen and expand the Victorian nursing and midwifery workforce. That these graduates are now being told they may not have a job is a slap in the face.
The Victorian Government's own data shows healthcare demand is expected to grow over the next 10 years and that there is a predicted shortfall in the nursing workforce. The numbers are even more dire when you look at the maternity workforce. The government earlier this year expanded our legislated nurse/midwife-to-patient ratios and has also agreed in-principle to a hospital classification review that will see 23 hospitals and eight emergency departments with improved ratios. The government is opening new hospitals in Footscray and Frankston, and renovating many more.
All of this will increase demand for nurses and midwives, who make up the largest proportion of health workers. We also know that our nurse/midwife members continue to receive multiple requests a day to pick up shifts, face significant overtime and work double shifts, and employers rely on agency usage particularly in areas like aged care and mental health.
"We need these graduate nurses and midwives. It is absurd to fund nursing and midwifery degrees and then not employ them when they graduate. Taxpayer dollars have paid for them to study and it is a wasted opportunity for this investment not to be realised. At a time when the ANMF, the Victorian Government and the community know that there will be an increased demand for healthcare in the future – and a corresponding healthcare worker shortage – we cannot lose these critical graduates due to poor planning and shortsightedness," said ANMF State Secretary Maddy Harradence.
"The ANMF is backing our student members and calling on the Victorian Government to fund these additional graduate places. We urge the government to hold urgent discussions with the private acute sector about their level of investment in graduate nurses and urgently explore all viable options to ensure we have a sustainable nursing and midwifery workforce into the future."
ANMF has also been in discussions with the Federal Government about additional graduate places in aged care.
ANMF is holding a meeting for all current final year Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery student members on Thursday 18 September. Students will receive first round results of the Graduate Nursing Midwifery Program (GNMP) Match, which the Department of Health uses to recruit registered nurses and midwives for graduate programs for 2026 placements, from Wednesday 17 September.
The community is invited to sign and share a petition calling on the Victorian Government to ensure today's student nurses and midwives are tomorrow's workforce via anmfvic.asn.au/gradpetition
About us:
The ANMF (Vic Branch) has over 111,000 members – nurses, midwives and aged care personal care workers – across the Victorian health and aged care sectors.
