Queensland government and nurses sent to mediation over pay dispute

More than 160 days have passed since negotiations started, but nurses and the Queensland government are still at loggerheads over pay.

Queensland Health and Ambulance Services Minister Tim Nicholls at Redcliffe Hospital. Picture: Liam Kidston

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Queensland nurses and the Crisafulli government will begin independent conciliation before the state’s Industrial Relations Commission on Wednesday after they failed to reach a wage deal despite 167 days of negotiations.

Nurses in public hospitals stepped up industrial action on Tuesday, refusing to make beds, fill out non-clinical forms, attend non-essential meetings or ­deliver meals.

The Liberal National Party government had offered all public servants pay increases of 3 per cent in 2025, and 2.5 per cent for each of the next two years, but this was rejected by unions.

A wage increase of an extra 3 per cent from December 2027 – amounting to a total rise of 11 per cent over three years – was turned down by the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union, on the grounds it left about two-thirds of the state’s 55,000 frontline public nurses worse off than their Victorian counterparts. The QNMU says the government’s offers so far break the LNP’s election commitment to ensure nurses have ­“nation-leading pay and conditions” and have asked for a 13 per cent increase over three years. Health Minister Tim Nicholls insists the government has ­offered nurses a nation-leading pay deal.

The nurses’ enterprise agreement expired at the end of March and the two parties have had 36 meetings since starting negotiations in January.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Sarah Beaman. Picture: Richard Walker

QNMU secretary Sarah Beaman said the protected industrial action – which she said would inconvenience Queensland Health officials but not put patient safety at risk – showed nurses were at “breaking point” and were “done being disrespected”.

“We are over the state government’s stalling tactics and gaslighting. Nurses and midwives are today escalating action to keep Queenslanders safe,” she said.

Nurses argue that if Queensland does not have the best pay and conditions in the country, the already stressed public health system will continue to lose nurses interstate and overseas.

Last month’s state budget calculations relied on the rejected wages offer.

Treasury analysis says that for every percentage point pay increase for the public service above the original offer, the wage bill would increase by about $380m a year.