The New South Wales Australian Nurses and Midwifery Foundation, a subsidiary of the ANMF, has ‘grave concerns’ for its members’ free speech.
In a joint 17 June statement with the federal government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism AHPRA announced it had adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
It’s a decision that’s drawn criticism over free-speech concerns and regulatory overreach – most recently from the NSW chapter of the Australian Nurses and Midwives Federation (NSWNMA).
In a meeting with NSWNMA general secretary Michael Whaites, more than 40 nurses and midwives strongly objected to AHPRA’s repression of their free speech, registered nurse and assistant secretary of Broken Hill NSWNMA Alex McKinnis said.
“When hospitals in Gaza are being targeted by Israel, nurses and midwives in Australia should not be scared of deregistration for speaking out against this,” she said.
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AHPRA’s decision will affect the more than 320,000 Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) members registered with AHPRA.
In a 10 July announcement, the ANMF said rather than achieving its initial purpose – combating antisemitism – the definition would only continue to cause “unnecessary harm, confusion, and concern for nurses and midwives across the country”.
The IHRA defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews”, a definition critics argue conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
The ANMF is now calling on the regulatory body to suspend the endorsement and application of the definition and rely instead on existing anti-discrimination laws and codes.
Midwife Nerida Grant from the NSWNMA Southeast Sydney community health branch said AHPRA should be free from political bias.
“The need for this additional requirement is extremely questionable. Some of my colleagues have family members in Gaza, they should be able to speak up and share their personal stories without fear of repercussions,” Ms Grant said.
The ANMF also urged strengthening safeguards against vexatious, bad-faith, or politically motivated actions – though AHPRA’s reports suggest 70% of inappropriate social media posts about the Gaza conflict between October 2023 and February 2024 were closed.
AHPRA CEO Justin Untersteiner also said AHPRA would review its vexatious notifications framework in response to these concerns, forming an advisory panel of practitioners to improve reporting and “strengthen safeguards”.
An open letter to Mr Untersteiner penned by Health Workers 4 Palestine South Australia, was signed by over 2000 practitioners (including nurses and midwives) and 60 health and medical organisations in June.
Ms McKinnis said the letter, dated 23 June, had received no response.
On the same day, the British Medical Association passed a motion opposing the IHRA definition, citing its “chilling effect” on legitimate political speech and ethical concerns about international conflicts, including Palestine-Israel.
