ANMF TASMANIA BRANCH COUNCIL & EXECUTIVE TEAM
Meet the team
EMILY SHEPHERD – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary & Health Education and Research Centre CEO
Career History
Emily is the Branch Secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Tasmanian Branch) and Chief Executive Officer of the ANMF (Tas) Health Education and Research Centre (HERC).
Emily has worked as a Registered Nurse since 2007 across public, private and aged care in a variety of roles including clinically and in education, both as a Clinical Nurse Educator and Clinical Facilitator and Tutor with the University of Tasmania, Safety and Quality and in management and holds a Master of Clinical Nursing.
Emily commenced her association with the ANMF as a Workplace Delegate and further as a Branch Councillor, and then as ANMF Tasmanian Branch President for 5 years. Following this, Emily commenced employment within the operational team of the ANMF (Tas Branch) as the ANMF Professional Officer and Continuing Professional Development Coordinator, prior to taking on the role of Acting Secretary and then the elected Branch Secretary role from 2017. Emily is also studying a Master of Business Administration.
What are your career highlights / areas of professional interest?
It is a constant highlight to represent and advocate on behalf of nurses, midwives and care workers daily. Giving a voice to members and representing the professional aspects of our roles is so vital. Career highlights to date have been many, but there are a few stand outs such as achieving mandated care minutes in the residential aged care sector after campaigning for many years in this sector, recently achieving national wage parity in public sector, achieving significant changes to industrial reforms that support workplace delegates rights and opportunities for resolving protracted bargaining and of course the Award increases in aged care.
Why are you a union member?
Quite simply union equals power. The power of the ANMF, the largest union in the country, comes from having over 340,000 members across Australia. In joining the union, we become part of a collective where our solidarity is our strength in advocating for professional issues, political policy or industrial improvements. The ANMF is 100 years strong in 2024 and we have achieved so much, but there is more to be done. So, if you know a nurse, midwife or care worker then sign them up to the most influential union in the country.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
My union affiliation commenced after receiving an award sponsored by the ANMF in my last year of my Bachelor of Nursing. The support of the ANMF as I started out on my nursing journey was such a source of reassurance that I had a safety net and an avenue to seek support if I needed it. Indeed, I did need the support of the ANMF when the ward I was working on as a Clinical Nurse Educator was slated to be closed and the ANMF ran a campaign and supported all nursing staff on the ward. This experience highlighted that the ANMF were the only support and advocates backing nurses in this scenario from an industrial and professional perspective. This was the catalyst to join the team at the ANMF and it really is an incredible privilege to support, advocate for and support nurses, midwives and care workers in my role as Branch Secretary.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
The biggest change that I want to see and that we are working toward is a sustainable and safely staffed nursing and midwifery workforce, in all sectors where nurses, midwives and care workers work, and to ensure that they are able to practice safely with appropriate workload tools and work health and safety measures.
JAMES LLOYD – ANMF Tasmanian Branch President
RHH Central Coordination Unit
Career History
James has been nursing for around 30 years, mostly at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) but has also worked in London, UK. James’ background is in neurosurgical nursing and adult intensive care. James currently works at the RHH as the After-Hours Nurse Unit Manager (AHNM).
What are your career highlights / areas of professional interest?
• Working in ICU and seeing very unwell people get better and leave ICU
• becoming an AHNM (AHNM is a ‘jack of all trades’ position and I love being a problem solver)
• joining ANMF (Tas) Branch Council.
Why are you a union member?
I’m here to represent the people who have no voice – to stand up for their rights and interests. Nurses and midwives are a collective force that can effect big change, we represent the interests of our patients and the ANMF and I use this collective power to achieve better health outcomes.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
Initially I was invited to become a member of Branch Council by fellow nurse, Andrew Ostler – I was asking too many questions about an EBA in 2009. After a few meetings, I realised I liked what the ANMF was doing to effect change in nursing, so I nominated myself for the following Branch Council election. Since then, I have continued Branch Council as I want to use our collective power to influence the professional direction of nursing in Tasmania.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
Better wages to allow us to maintain and attract nurses and midwives to Tasmania, nurses and midwives at the coal face having more of a say in the direction of health in Tasmania, and nurses and midwives standing tall and having their voice heard.
MONICA WERNER – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Vice President
McGrath Early Breast Cancer CNC, RHH
Career History
Monica works at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) in cancer services and her current role is early Breast Cancer Clinical Nurse Consultant. Monica started nursing in 1981 as a student in the old hospital training days at The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney and says the only reason she wanted to be a nurse then, as an 18-year-old finishing high school, is so she could move out of home and get paid for it! It was the best decision she made and she is still loving nursing all this time later!
Since graduating and having her own family, Monica worked around Sydney and regional areas in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania in community and acute, before settling in Hobart and beginning work at the RHH in 2000.
Over the last 24 years, Monica has worked in cancer services between inpatients, clinical trials, day chemotherapy and more recently as a Clinical Nurse Consultant for early breast cancer.
What are your career highlights / areas of professional interest?
Over the years I have seen so many changes in nursing and healthcare. Some good and some very frustrating, particularly when it comes to equitable access to healthcare for all. Within the cancer setting there have been so many exciting developments in treatments that have changed the lives, for the better, for so many cancer patients. I feel so privileged to be part of a team where I’ve witnessed what the difference the passionate, brilliant, and resourceful minds I work with can make.
Why are you a union member?
I have always been a union member. In the early days when I was a teenager starting out, I was clueless as to what I was really joining up for. The importance and necessity of the ANMF soon became apparent to me to safeguard our rights as nurses and maintain high professional standards.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams have imagined myself doing this, I was way too shy to consider myself to have any sort of voice that would be worth hearing. It was through a workplace grievance I was part of that I was approached to become a workplace delegate or rep as it was known then. I learnt through the grievance process what can be achieved through our union and the power of a united voice, to campaign for our rights and make positive change.
Even though I don’t know everything, I know as a delegate that I can listen, advocate, and find answers, that’s what nurses do right? I’m very proud to be part of an organisation that has reliability, values, integrity and a moral compass, dedicated to fight the good fight on behalf of nurses.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery, and healthcare in Tasmania?
I would dearly love to see nurses valued for the important physical, emotional, and intellectual work we do in meaningful ways reflected in pay and conditions not just in the empty dialogue that we hear from bureaucrats and politicians. The potential and value for the nurse practitioner is yet to be fully recognised in Tasmania, I hope to see new nurse practitioner candidate positions opened across all specialties. Further, too many nurses are looking for either work outside Tasmania or a career change due to the unsafe and unsustainable work conditions we are expected to work in. It’s time to make changes to make this beautiful State a desirable place to come and work. I hope to see equitable and safe access to healthcare for all Tasmanians. There is so much work to be done!
SARAH HILL – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Executive
MCH ED
Career History
Sarah works at the Mersey Community Hospital as a Registered Nurse (RN) between both the Emergency Department (ED) and as After Hours Nurse Manager.
Sarah has been working as an RN for the past 17 years and in ED for the past 16 years, working in Western Australia (WA) for 3 years where she managed to finish a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing. Sarah returned to Tasmania for a short period before trying agency nursing, which she quickly learnt wasn’t for her, however she remained in Tasmania for the past 13 years, also working for around 3 years in ICU at North West Regional Hospital.
What are your career highlights and areas of professional interest?
Working in regional WA was fantastic experience. You had to treat and stabilise a large array of trauma and illness prior to patients being transported to Perth. While working there, I was a member of a fantastic team that used their ingenuity to treat the patients and save life and limb. Working at the Mersey is very similar as we are expected to look after all patients with minimal resources. I enjoy this challenge the most and learn so much from being exposed to the trials of working in a small hospital.
Why are you a union member?
I am a union member because I believe that unions fight for improvement in industry and safety as well as strive for better wages and conditions of their members. I like to keep people accountable, and I feel the union does this.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I wasn’t happy to just be a union member as I felt I could impact change a lot better by becoming a Delegate and Branch Officer. It allows me more input into the direction the union takes, as well as the improvement of nursing care.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
I want to see pay parity with interstate counterparts to attract and retain nurses here in Tasmania. I want to see more money invested in the primary health sector to reduce the strain on the acute health system. It would be great if the Government realised the full potential of nurses, midwives and nurse practitioners, and give us more autonomy in directing patient care.
KYLIE ATWELL (Peppiatt) – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Executive
RHH Medical (ICU)
Career History
Kylie works in the Department of Critical Care Medicine – Intensive Care Unit Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) as an Associate Nurse Unit Manager. Kylie started a Bachelor of Environmental Design and wanted to be an Architect… but more than 25 years later, is still nursing! Most of Kylie’s work has been at the RHH with experience on different wards and specialties but critical care is Kylie’s passion and where most of her work has been – her home away from home and other family.
What are your career highlights and areas of professional interest?
A day in the life of a critical care nurse would make a great movie. My tenure has been filled with amazing clinical and social experiences. Whilst rewarding, it is also one great challenge. Having the privilege of seeing people/clients return to ICU and visit post recovery is rewarding but so is providing family with support and guidance for peaceful palliation. A big area of professional interest is clinical leadership and personal safety culture and one day I will finish off my Masters in these areas. A few years ago, I was selected as the ANMF Rep of the Year. I felt honoured, but asked my colleagues, who I suspected nominated me, “why?” The response made me feel so proud, as they said, “because you always have our backs”.
Why are you a union member?
For the first 10 years of my career I was not a union member. In a family from the farming and produce industry, unionism was heavily stigmatised. Then, as I became more familiar with the political and business-like practices of health organisations, I realised I was just a number. I saw how professional the ANMF was and how well members were supported, so I joined. In jokes I saw benefits in buying lots of discounted movie tickets. At the time in DCCM we had a few passionate and helpful Reps (now called Delegates) who helped me navigate some tricky conversations about unsafe rostering with the then ADON. It worked, and from then on, I started to become interested in the Tasmanian Nurses Award, secretly keeping a copy in my locker so I could also help other teammates.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I was starting to become more involved in workforce matters and had the confidence to speak up for myself and colleagues. As a critical care specialised nurse, I even joined the national Workforce Advisory Committee for the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses. It felt like a natural progression to take another step and nominate for ANMF (Tas) Branch Council. I remember being nervous and scared at my first meeting. Years later, and also being on the Executive Committee, I have no hesitation in challenging motions or situations to be the best advocate I can for ANMF members.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
I want to see so much change! We as nurses and midwives must come together to make this happen. Social change toward attitudes and the treatment of each other in the workplace amongst all people working in healthcare. Many colleagues have moved interstate for career opportunities but mostly for better salary. For nurses and midwives, retaining, recruiting and recognising starts with fair pay. We lose as many if not more staff than we can recruit and we need a strong Government to step up and see what’s really happening. I will be glad to take the Minister for Health to work with me on any day in DCCM. Now though, we need to keep supporting each other and support ANMF!
GRACIE PATTEN – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Executive
RHH Mother Baby Unit
Career History
Gracie is a Nurse Unit Manager at Mother Baby Unit in the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) – SMHS – THS and has been in the industry for ten years, starting as a student nurse, then an Assistant in Nursing, and Graduating as a Registered Nurse, working her way up to Nurse Unit Manager. Gracie has worked in Paediatrics, Community, GP, Aged Care, Operating Theatres and now Statewide Mental Health Services and has done further education in Paediatrics and healthcare leadership.
What are your career highlights / areas of professional interest?
My career highlights are being nominated for the ANMF’s Faye Hoppitt Rep of the Year multiple times and being the successful winner in 2022. I have also represented the ANMF at national conferences. I have always advocated for change and have been able to create that in my workplaces, with the help of the ANMF.
I am currently allowed to use autonomy and create a unit/ward that is a safe place to work. I thank SMHS for allowing me to do that, and the ANMF for teaching me what that looks like, as I felt that in previous work areas this kind of thinking and operational development was not fostered.
Why are you a union member?
I learnt early on, as a student, that nursing was a profession that was underfunded, under-resourced and under-appreciated, but instead of letting that drag me down and quitting my training, the ANMF reached out a hand and pulled me up, showing me that with the power of being a united front, we can be heard, respected and create healthy and safe change within the health system, but only if we worked together. There is strength in numbers.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I was approached by another Branch Council member after they saw the changes I was trying to bring into place on my previous unit. They knew it was an uphill battle and saw my struggles in trying to achieve this alone. They told me about the Branch Council and what they do, and how I can help direct the union to help areas just like mine, that needed to be heard and needed support. It was so validating to know it wasn’t just my struggle. Now I can advocate for others and help make actual change.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
Safe staffing numbers. Plentiful resources and a Government that appreciates the hard work that frontline workers do and respects them enough to give pay parity as they have done for themselves. The lives of your loved ones are in our hands, isn’t that enough to ensure we have everything we need to make it safe for them?
KYLIE STUBBS – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Executive
LGH Operating Theatre
Career History
Kylie has been an RN for 31 years working as a Perianaesthesia Nurse. Kylie currently works at the Launceston General Hospital, Operating Room Suite, Registered Nurse Anaesthesia and PACU.
What are your career highlights and areas of professional interest?
My areas of professional interest are in promoting patient safety and advocating for quality care delivery through evidence-based best practice. I enjoy mentoring and guiding student nurses, TtP graduates and all nurses new to the perioperative environment.
Why are you a union member?
I am a union member because I passionately believe in the values of solidarity, equity and social justice that are central to Unionism. Being a union member also gives me a voice in the decision-making processes within my workplace and empowers me to advocate for my rights and the rights of my colleagues. My union has also been a tremendous support to me and has helped me navigate challenging situations within my workplace.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I decided to become an ANMF officer as it is another opportunity and avenue for me to serve as an advocate and representative for my fellow nursing colleagues and ANMF members.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
There are many current challenges and issues facing nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania, such as staffing shortages, workload pressures and access to quality care. I would like to see improved working conditions for nurses and midwives including adequate staffing levels, resources and pay parity with our mainland counterparts. I would also like to see a healthcare system in Tasmania that prioritises prevention, early intervention, and holistic approach to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
ASTRID TIEFHOLZ – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Councillor
Karitane
Career History
Astrid is a Registered Nurse, Midwife, Credentialled Mental Health Nurse, and IBCLC, specialising in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) and has been providing holistic nursing and midwifery care since 2006. Astrid is currently working at Karitane’s ForWhen National Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Program as a Clinical Navigator for Tasmania.
What are your career highlights and areas of professional interest?
I have a passion for mental health education and promotion and a strong interest in capacity building for women of marginalised backgrounds. I am inspired by the possibilities of extending health literacy and service access through digital technologies, while maintaining the core human connection at the heart of nursing and midwifery. I have previously worked in health information and education at Women’s Health Victoria and has been serving on Branch Council of the ANMF (Tas Branch) since 2017.
Why are you a Union Member?
I have been a proud member of the ANMF since I was a student, and was part of the march to fill the MCG with other unions fighting for a better future. I joined because I saw how strong nurses and midwives could be when working together to advance the profession and provide safe care for our patients and clients. Unions have been at the forefront of growing the rights of workers, giving voice to our needs, and ensuring we can work with dignity and community respect.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I have had the privilege of working in the ANMF’s Member Support Team, being a Workplace Representative at the RHH for Maternity and Women’s Health and have served on the Branch Council since 2017. I believe that the ANMF is instrumental in advocating for the rights of Tasmanian nurses, midwives, and carers, and being part of the team offering clinical input and governance to the ANMF is a personally and professionally rewarding part of my contribution to Tasmania’s health and wellbeing.
What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery and healthcare in Tasmania?
I want an end to understaffed shifts, exhausted clinicians, and burnt-out nurses eyeing the exit. I would like to see every shift in every healthcare facility filled with happy, healthy clinicians and support workers, able to focus on providing excellent client care. I want every nurse, midwife, and carer to be able to finish each day on time, satisfied with a job well done, having been part of a great team, with their personal needs met. I want to see a Tasmanian health workforce that feels supported, respected, and well-resourced to do the best job they can. I want every healthcare worker to love what they do and grow professional satisfaction throughout their working lives.
WILLIAM GORDON – ANMF Tasmanian Branch Councillor
LGH Children 4K
Career History
Will is a Registered Nurse and ANMF Delegate on the Wombat Ward (Paediatrics) at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH).
Will began his nursing career in 2016, starting his graduate placements in the Day Procedure Unit and then 4K (now known as the Wombat Ward). Previously, Will has worked in hospitality and the disability sector with special needs children.
What are your career highlights and areas of professional interest?
Belonging to family of healthcare professionals who specialise in emergency medicine/nursing, cardiology, surgical nursing, and allied health, my areas of professional interest go beyond the scope of clinical nursing, and to the goal of seeing Tasmania become the healthiest state in Australia. I want to see improvements in our Emergency Departments, the same ones my parents and brother work in. I want to see a decrease in the rates of cardiovascular disease in Tasmania, as we have the highest rates in Australia.
One highlight for me is running in the 2024 State Election with the goal to be an advocate for every healthcare professional in Tasmania and provide them with a voice in our parliament. During the campaign I heard the health stories of many members of the public, and each one had the same reoccurring theme, “The doctors and nurses were amazing”. Hearing that filled me with a sense of pride in my career, but also encouraged me to keep going during the campaign, to become that advocate and fight for a healthcare system that every Tasmanian deserves.
As a paediatric nurse, I was involved with the recent Commission of Inquiry (COI) held in Tasmania. The media so fondly refer to me as “the whistleblower,” though I merely see myself as a father, but also a nurse who wanted a health system to be accountable, transparent, and honest, with the atrocities that we have heard about. The highlight of this was to see sunlight shine in some of the darkest corners of our health system, and the changes that have occurred in response to recommendations of the COI have resulted in a safer Tasmania for every child.
Why are you a union member?
Honestly, I originally became a member before my graduate year mainly because I thought I had to. I didn’t understand what it meant to be a member, nor the force that I suddenly belonged to when becoming one. And as time is the best teacher, now I can personally attest to the power of change a union can bring.
Why did you nominate to become an ANMF officer and be more involved in the union?
I was recommended to apply to become an officer. Having a family that works across the state in healthcare, hearing the stories from members of the public, having healthcare professionals disclose their concerns or hardships working in the health system to me, I felt like I had an obligation to do more for them.
“What change do you want to see in nursing, midwifery, and healthcare in Tasmania?
Where do I start? During the campaign, people would ask me, ‘How do you fix the health system?’ My answer always started the same way: ‘Show our healthcare workers respect!'”
I want to see cultural change, improvements in quality of care, and a sense of pride to be a nurse and to work our hospitals return to the Tasmanian Health System.
My vision goes beyond nursing and midwifery services in Tasmania. I want Tasmania to be the healthiest state in Australia, but I also want the other states to look at our healthcare services and say, “how did they do it?”, “What can we learn from them?”