Qld urged to follow Vic in waiving HECS debt for nursing students

The Queensland government is being urged to follow Victoria’s lead in a novel approach to attracting and retaining nurses.

The Queensland Nurses’ and Midwives’ Union is pushing for the government to follow Victoria’s lead with free nursing and midwifery degrees in a bid to ease the health sector workforce crisis, as the state’s students say they would move interstate if it meant no HECS debt.

Union secretary Beth Mohle said: “The QNMU has repeatedly called for long-term nursing and midwifery workforce planning in Queensland and nationally.

“The waiving of university and TAFE fees is one area of funding reform the QNMU has put forward as an option to the Health and Aged Care Roundtable prior to the upcoming Jobs and Skills Summit.

“If the Queensland government were to waive fees, this would likely assist with workforce growth and the retention of students and future nurses and midwives who might consider moving, studying and working interstate.”

Ms Mohle said nurses and midwives who studied in Queensland were more likely to work in Queensland, especially if they could study close to home.

University of Queensland nursing and psychology student Justin Chan said as a fourth-year student he had already racked up a considerable HECS debt.

“I’ve tried to avoid debt my whole life, but uni has been unavoidable,” he said.

“But I might even have moved to Victoria had this been announced a few years earlier.”

UQ student nurse/midwife Zoe Hamilton. Picture: Liam Kidston

Nursing and midwifery student Zoe Hamilton said she would move to Victoria had she known that they were offering free degrees.

“I am originally from Victoria and moved up to Queensland quite a long time ago, but had I known that I could enrol in Victoria and had a free degree out of it, I would take that up in a heartbeat,” she said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates told The Courier-Mail the government had not planned for the workforce crisis.

“It’s been brewing for seven years now,” she said.

“Unbelievably, the independent Auditor-General uncovered Queensland Health doesn’t have a nursing workforce plan.

“The independent report says 6000 nurses are likely to leave the profession in 2024, with a further 10,000 in 2029.

“Our health system won’t cope if that happens because we just haven’t got the nurses to replace them.”

The state government announced in July it would hire an extra 770 graduate nurses and midwives a year in a major boost for frontline health services.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said a new recruiting push would increase Queensland Health’s total annual nurse and midwifery graduate intake to 2500.

Originally published as Qld urged to follow Vic in waiving HECS debt for nursing students