Tenure, mobility and retention of nurses in Queensland, Australia: 2001 and 2004

[Abstract]: Aim: Data were collected on tenure, mobility and retention of the nursing workforce in Queensland to aid strategic planning by the Queensland Nurses’ Union. Background: Shortages of nurses negatively affect the health outcomes of patients. Population rise is increasing the demand for nurses in Queensland. The supply of nurses is affected by recruitment of new and returning nurses, retention of the existing workforce and mobility within institutions. Methods: A self-reporting, postal survey was undertaken of Queensland Nurses Union members from the major employment sectors of aged care, public acute and community health and private acute and community health. Results: Only 60% of nurses had been with their current employer more than five years. In contrast 90% had been nursing for five years or more and most (80%) expected to remain in nursing for at least another five years. Breaks from nursing were common and part-time positions in the private and aged care sectors offered flexibility. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a mobile nursing workforce in Queensland although data on tenure and future time in nursing suggested that retention in the industry was high. Concern is expressed for replacement of an aging nursing population

Parliamentary debates /

Description based on: Vol. 45, 2nd session, 3rd Parliament (1907/1908).Mode of access: Internet.Vols. 181-185, 1 v

Protecting vulnerable children: A national challenge

At regular intervals over many years, reports on problems and shortcomings of the care and protection of children in out-of-home care have been produced. Unfortunately, it seems that these reports had minimal impact in achieving a system that was responsive, accountable and achieved outcomes in the best interest of children. A spate of more recent reports for a number of States and Territories reveal crisis-ridden child protection systems that are under-resourced, under-funded and understaffed, resulting in a high turnover of over-worked and inexperienced workers. They have also found that the crisis-ridden systems have resulted in children at risk not being adequately protected. The Committee considers that the improvement of the child protection system is of fundamental importance for the development of our nation. The social and economic cost of not fully addressing these issues will only escalate in the future. The protection of children needs to be at the forefront of government policy agendas within all jurisdictions

Gaming micro-transactions for chance-based items

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License.The Senate referred the following matter to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report: The extent to which gaming micro-transactions for chance-based items, sometimes referred to as 'loot boxes', may be harmful, with particular reference to: (a) whether the purchase of chance-based items, combined with the ability to monetise these items on third-party platforms, constitutes a form of gambling; and (b) the adequacy of the current consumer protection and regulatory framework for in-game micro transactions for chance-based items, including international comparisons, age requirements and disclosure of odds