Royal Australian Nursing Federation campaign badge

B012.tiff

B012.tiff

From the Collection of Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation Level 1 535 Elizabeth St Melbourne Victoria

Description

Round white and red plastic badge. Silver metal, plastic-coated, with safety pin fastener adhered to back.

Badge printed with 'Irene Bolger's Nurses Liberation Front'.

Links

A 'blueprint' for union organising: Irene Bolger An overview of Irene Bolger's role in the Victorian Branch of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, focused on activities around the historic 1986 50-day Victorian nurses strike.

Object Registration

B012

Keywords

nurse, nursing, nurses, industrial action, irene bolger, strike action, unionism, badges, buttons, pins, campaigns, campaigning, trade unions, labour history, 1986 victorian nurses strike, royal australian nursing federation

Historical information

Distributed to nurses during campaigning for improved wages and working conditions in the 1980s, probably during the historic 1986 Victorian 50-day nurses strike. Irene Bolger was elected Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation from May 1986 to 1989. Renowned for her leadership during the historic 1986 Victorian 50-day nurses strike, she later became a barrister, primarily representing underprivileged clients. This badge was likely worn by members supporting Bolger's militant and divisive position on the strike.

When Made

[1986?]

Last updated

11 Apr 2019 at 1:58PM

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Historical information

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Historical information

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Historical information

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Circular white and blue plastic badge. Silver metal, plastic-coated, with safety pin fastener adhered to back. Badge printed with 'hands off nurses' awards!' and 'AUSTRALIAN NURSING FEDERATION'.

Historical information

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Circular black and yellow badge. Silver metal, plastic-coated, with safety pin fastener adhered to back. Badge printed with 'no more than 1 to 4'.

Historical information

Button worn by Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) members and staff as an ongoing campaign in the 1990s to 2000s to secure minimum nurse staffing in the public healthcare sector. 'no more than 1 to 4' denotes a ratio of one nurse to a maximum of four patients. During this period, staffing ratios were secured as part of bargaining negotiations between unions and employer groups. After decades of campaigning from the ANF/ANMF, ratios were legislated for the public sector in Victoria with the passing of the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient) Bill in 2015.

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Circular yellow, red and white badge. Silver metal, plastic-coated, with safety pin fastener adhered to back. Badge printed with a blue and white ANF [Australian Nursing Federation] logo, the black text '[then-Prime Minister John] Howard targets nurses' and a Ron Tandberg cartoon of a nurse with a 'sniper target' overlay.

Historical information

Button distributed to and worn by Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) members and staff as part of a 2006 campaign protesting the controversial 'WorkChoices' federal industrial relations laws that were introduced by the Liberal John Howard government in 2005-2007. These laws saw the weakening of unfair dismissal laws, giving employers significantly more powers to strip existing rights and wages away. The laws were repealed following the election of an opposition Labor government in 2007 under Kevin Rudd. The 'Howard Target Nurses' campaign was featured in ANF Victorian Branch newsletters around late 2006. During this period, a number of enterprising bargaining agreements were set to soon expire, leaving nurses vulnerable to have rights stripped away under the new IR legislation. A large campaign began, with rallies across the state of Victoria. The August 2006 Branch newsletter featured images of the Tandberg 'Howard targets nurses' design on placards, shirts and badges worn by nurses at these rallies. The illustration by The Age cartoonist Ron Tandberg made reference to John Howard's involvement in wars in the Middle East throughout the early 2000s, and linked this to the 'war' on unions and worker rights.

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Circular blue, red and white plastic badge. Silver metal, plastic-coated, with safety pin fastener adhered to back. Badge printed with 'I've been 'Jeffed' and I'm paying the Penalty!' and 'ANF [Australian Nursing Federation] VIC. [Victorian] BRANCH'. 'Jeffed' refers to the then Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett (1992-1999).

Historical information

Badge campaigning against the Victorian Liberal government's widespread privatisation of the public health service (and other public services) in the 1990s, which resulted in job cuts and site closures throughout the state. The Australian Nursing Federation, the union representing nurses in Victoria, was a strong opponent of these cuts and closures, that resulted in pressure applied on an already overstretched and poorly resourced group of workers. "In a context of high unemployment and an ideological commitment to small government, there were widespread job losses and people affixed stickers to their cars saying 'I've been Jeffed', i.e. made redundant. The cuts were not confined to government employees and many staff of private enterprises also lost their jobs. This was the era of the 'consulting poor' as professional staff struggled to make a living as independent consultants, rather than employees. They were well paid for short term contracts, but continuity of work was hard to find." (Sally Wilde, 'The History of Prahran 1990-1994', 2000)

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