Here at NPAQ headquarters we were alarmed to read in the interim report of the Royal Commission in to aged care that 16,000 elderly Australians died waiting for Home Care packages.  

This is a disgrace.

Our members (and one of our executives) have told us they have elderly parents who have waited three years for a package.
We intend to highlight this failure in our submission to the Royal Commission.

A new model of care has been developed in the Netherlands called ‘Buurtzorg’ meaning ‘neighbourhood care’. 

The Buurtzorg method has three aims:

1. better care for patients,
2. happier staff and
3. lower costs.

Payroll bungle: Retired nurse sued over long service pay

A retired nurse, who worked in public hospitals for almost 50 years, is being sued by Queensland Health over a miscalculated long-service leave payment they admit was a “system error”.

DAN KNOWLES, PETER GLEESON, Exclusive, The Courier-Mail  September 29, 2019 

THE State Government is suing a retired intensive care nurse for $40,000 in bungled long service leave payments despite Queensland Health admitting the mistake was a result of its own “system error”.

You may recall news about the Queensland Health memorandum distributed to every nurse in Q Health incorrectly stating that NPAQ didn't have the right to represent its members.

We do!! And it was very silly of the Queensland Labor Government, to put in writing something that is not only wrong, but requires them to have to make a public retraction. Watch this space! 

Latest news: The Morrison Government has just introduced a bill ostensibly to curb union wrongdoing. It’s short title in Canberra is the Ensuring Integrity Bill. However, when politicians start waffling about "integrity" it is usually the time to count the silverware and lock it up. We believe the Morrison Government doesn’t understand the Fair Work Act and or the role of unions in our society. 

NPAQ presented evidence on Friday 13 September before the Education and Employment Legislation Senate Committee inquiry into Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity) Bill 2019. (try say that in one breath!).

Our submission called on the Government to punish the individual within the trade union that's causing issues - not the entire union.

Listen to NPAQ at the hearing

When Graeme Haycroft and Cath Seaver started the NPAQ they knew they could provide a service to rival that offered by the QNMU - at about half the price.

When our member's husband was offered an exciting work opportunity in Sweden, she was excited.

Not only did the six-month job spell good things for his career, it was a chance too for the whole family to enjoy an educational and bonding experience. And given she had plenty of leave owing to her after nearly 10 years working as a nurse with a private Queensland company, she was certain taking the necessary time off would prove no problem.

That did not prove to be the case however.