The Prime Minister, the Minister for Education and the Minister for Health today announced 1,094 new Commonwealth supported higher education places in the national priority area of nursing.
The new places will give more students the opportunity to qualify as registered nurses and will increase the number of nurses available to work in our hospitals. That will benefit patients in the health system significantly and, ultimately, the community.
As promised prior to the last election, the new places for nursing students will be available from 2009.
These 1,094 new nursing places will help take the pressure off Australia's hospitals. They include 55 extra places for midwives and 130 places for specialist mental health nurses. The Rudd Government is currently conducting a review of maternity services in Australia.
The announcement was made in Newcastle where 50 nursing places have been allocated to the University of Newcastle.
Higher education providers have indicated that around 50 per cent of the courses where new places have been allocated will offer places to enrolled nurses to upgrade their qualifications.
More than 60 per cent of courses will provide clinical placement opportunities in rural and regional areas.
More than 300 places have been allocated to campuses in regional areas to create opportunities for students to study nursing without the need to relocate to a metropolitan campus.
The extra places are part of the Australian Government's 2008-09 Budget Health and Hospitals Reform - Health Workforce initiatives.
Places have been allocated to higher education providers delivering courses in the following States and Territories: New South Wales, 310 new places; Victoria, 280 places; Queensland,110 places; Western Australia, 155 places; South Australia,135 places; Northern Territory, 50 places and the Australian Capital Territory, 54 places.
A full list of the new places is available: RTF 368 KB | PDF 77KB.