Nurses and Midwives biggest pay increase in two decades

After years of unfair wage suppression under the former Coalition Government, I’m pleased to share that the Minns Labor Government is delivering the largest pay increase for nurses and midwives in over two decades.

This historic outcome is part of our broader plan to rebuild our essential frontline workforce and ensure our healthcare system is strong, sustainable, and able to meet the needs of our growing community.

Following a decision by the Industrial Relations Commission, nurses and midwives will receive significant pay increases across three years:

Year 1 (backdated to 1 July 2025):

• 10% increase for Registered Nurses and Midwives (including the interim 3%)

• 12% increase for Enrolled Nurses (including the interim 3%)

• 22% increase for Assistants in Nursing (including the interim 3%)

Year 2:

• 3% increase for all nurses and midwives

Year 3:

• 3% increase for all nurses and midwives

This outcome recognises the vital work nurses and midwives do every day and ensures they are fairly compensated for their skills, dedication, and care.

We are also delivering real reform to strengthen the workforce, including:

• Scrapping the unfair wages cap

• Rolling out safe staffing, meaning more nurses in our hospitals

• Saving the 1,112 nursing positions that were set to be cut

• Providing subsidies to almost 8,000 healthcare students to support them through their studies

• Recruiting more than 5,000 additional nurses across NSW

These actions are already making a difference helping to attract more nurses into the profession and improving retention rates back to pre-COVID levels.

This pay rise would not have been possible without the collaboration between the Minns Labor Government and the union movement, and it reflects our commitment to restoring fairness, respect, and stability to our health system.

Our nurses and midwives have always been there for our community this is about making sure we are there for them.