Tasmanian Industrial Commission at Risk a Slap in the Face to Nurses and Midwives
19 November 2025
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF) is furious at Attorney-General Guy Barnett’s admission in budget estimates that the Government intends to absorb the Tasmanian Industrial Commission (TIC) into the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT).
“This admission from Attorney-General Guy Barnett in budget estimates is exactly the type of behaviour that our members face in their workplaces time and time again,” ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd said.
“It is often only through the TIC that we are able to enforce the need for appropriate consultation and procedural fairness, otherwise this Government would just do whatever it wanted irrespective of the registered Awards and Agreements offering our members industrial entitlements, conditions and protection.”
Ms Shepherd said to learn of the proposal to absorb the TIC into TASCAT in budget estimates is a slap in the face of all nurses, midwives, registered undergraduates of nursing and midwifery and assistants in nursing across the public sector.
“At present many members are party to a significant number of disputes currently before the TIC. The majority of these relate to unsafe staffing where the Minister Administering the State Service Act has failed to comply with the Nurses and Midwives [Tasmanian State Service] Agreement which sets out the requirement to comply with minimum safe staffing levels.
“Our members have had to resort to the use of the TIC for these matters as their calls for minimum safe staffing levels fall on deaf ears from the local level all the way to the Government.”
Ms Shepherd said the TIC/TASCAT move appears to indicate the Government has zero interest in supporting nurses, midwives and their public sector health colleagues achieve a safe working environment.
“It would seem the abolition of the TIC is an attempt to limit our members’ ability to exercise their industrial rights to seek the assistance of the Independent umpire when their employer won’t listen.
“However, our members will not be silenced.
“If the TIC is removed or absorbed into TASCAT, the ANMF will support members to work to rule and if necessary, take industrial action. This will include stop work action until this Government resolves its industrial disputes.
“This will solely be due to this Government’s short-sighted, ill-informed and obstructive attempt to remove any impediment to taking whatever action they choose to return their own abysmal budget – one of their own making – to surplus.”
The ANMF has written to the Attorney-General, highlighting the requirement of the State to adhere to principles of natural justice and procedural fairness and seeking any proposal to be made to our members and all affected parties prior to a final decision being made.
“It is ironic that when many public sector unions are taking industrial action to make new agreements and the ANMF is about to commence bargaining for public sector nurses and midwives that the Government chooses to abolish the TIC.
“The TIC was formed under the Industrial Relations Act 1984 primarily to support Tasmanian State Service employees in resolving disputes, fixing wages, making agreements and awards as well as reviewing actions under the State Service Act 2000.
“The message couldn’t be clearer. The State Government doesn’t care about nurses and midwives and their State Service colleagues and they will stop at nothing to reduce the number of State Servants and use every opportunity they can to make public servants pay for their financial mismanagement.”