Nurses are, undoubtedly, a foundational part of our healthcare system – from providing emotional and physical support to patients, to delivering high-quality care across the country. Continue reading this Legal Kitz blog post to learn more about the Nurses Award 2020.
What is the Nurses Award 2020?
The Nurses Award 2020, as established by the Federal Australian Government, sets out a comprehensive set of minimum terms and conditions of employment (including wages and leave entitlements). The Nurses Award 2020 covers a wide range of employment conditions, including pay rates, work hours, leave entitlements, overtime, penalty rates, and allowances. It also includes provisions for workplace health and safety, discrimination, and dispute resolution.
The Nurses Award 2020 refers to the Nurses Award 2010, which is the industrial instrument that sets out the minimum terms and conditions of employment for nurses, midwives, and personal care assistants in Australia. The award was updated in 2020 to include changes in pay rates, classifications, and other employment conditions. The Nurses Award 2020 is a part of the modern awards system established by the Fair Work Commission in 2010, which replaced the previous state and federal awards. The modern awards aim to provide a simplified and standardized system for setting minimum employment standards across all industries in Australia.
The Nurses Award 2020 covers a wide range of employment conditions, including pay rates, work hours, leave entitlements, overtime, penalty rates, and allowances. It also includes provisions for workplace health and safety, discrimination, and dispute resolution.
Who does it cover?
The Nurses Award covers employers and their employees in the health industry, and employers who employ nurses and midwifes, including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and nurse practitioners. It explains the minimum pay rates, hours of work, leave entitlements, and other important conditions of employment for these workers. Medical practitioners (such as doctors), registrars, health professionals (such as physiotherapists), clerical and administration employees and nurses employed in a primary or secondary school are not covered by this award, and each have their own standards within their given fields.
Based on their qualifications and experience, nurses and midwives are classified into different levels within the Award. These levels allow for differentiation in pay and leave entitlements and allow for a cohesive understanding of which roles are entitled to which benefits. There are several levels of classification, including Graduate Nurse, Registered Nurse, Enrolled Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Occupational Health Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Pay rates
A number of factors influence the pay rates for each classification level; these include years of experience, classification of employment, education requirements, the complexity of the work performed and the level of responsibility and autonomy required. The Nurses Award also includes provisions for penalty rates, overtime, and allowances, as well as provisions for professional development and training.
In addition to setting minimum standards for pay and conditions, the Nurses Award also includes provisions for workplace health and safety, anti-discrimination, and dispute resolution. These explain important requirements for workplace conditions and sets out pathways for seeking help if necessary. Nurses and midwives who believe that their rights under the Nurses Award have been breached can seek redress through the Fair Work Commission or other relevant bodies.
Overall, the Nurses Award is an important mechanism for ensuring that nurses and midwives in Australia are fairly compensated and provided with safe and supportive working conditions. It recognises the critical role that these healthcare professionals play in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the Australian community, and helps to attract and retain the best talent in the nursing profession.
Legal advice
If you need further assistance or advice regarding your award, we here at Legal Kitz would love to help you. We offer free resources and the option to request a free 30-minute consultation for all of your employment queries. Additionally, our sister company Business Kitz offers a subscription-based plan with over 150+ legally compliant documents.