Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) is the largest union in Australia, with 274,956 members in 2018. The union is run by nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing to advance the industrial, political and professional interests of its members.
Established in 1924, the union was previously known as the Australian Nursing Federation. It is a federated union, with branches in each state and territory in Australia.
Leadership.
All of the federal executive officers of the ANMF are qualified nurses and/or midwives.
The ANMF has more than 249,000 members, employed in a wide range of enterprises in urban, rural and remote locations in both in the public and the private sectors, including hospitals, health and community services, schools, universities, aged care, GP clinics, schools, the armed forces, statutory authorities, local government, offshore territories and industry.
Campaigns.
The ANMF runs campaigns for all members throughout Australia, such as Ratios for Aged Care: Make them Law Now.
The ANMF has a range of national policies, guidelines, and position statements on nursing, health, and social justice issues for the guidance of members in their practice and at their workplaces.
Federal structure.
The ANMF is federally-registered and most branches also have a state-registered union, operating as the union in the state industrial relations system.
For example, the ANMF Queensland Branch operates as the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union, and the ANMF New South Wales Branch operates as the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association in the respective state systems.
International representation.
The ANMF represents Australian nursing internationally through links with other national and international nursing organisations, professional associations and the International Labour Organisations. The ANMF is a member of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation and the South Pacific Nurses Forum and is affiliated to the ACTU, International Centre for Trade Union Rights and Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA (Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad), the overseas aid agency of the trade union movement.