“Give us this small reward for the amazing job that we do.”
Earlier this year, the PM, Tony Abbott said, “If you don’t want to work weekends, don’t work weekends”. Intensive care nurse, Danielle Tinkler, came home after a stressful night shift with her head still buzzing and wrote this powerful letter to Tony Abbott to explaining what it takes to be a nurse and why we should be celebrating them, not disrespecting them…
Dear Mr Abbott,
I am writing to you after just finishing a gruelling 12 hour night shift. I am tired, my eyes are sore, my head aches, and my body feels sweaty and dirty.
I am an Intensive Care Nurse, and last night I spent many hours resuscitating someone’s baby. My amazing team and I just saved a life. And in some way – perhaps by providing that glimmer of hope during one of their darkest hours, we have saved the lives of the child’s parents now as well.
Top Comments
100% agreed. I'm an ex leukaemia patient, current med student and this lady is NOT exaggerating or boasting when she says, "we are superheroes". THEY are the real doctors in the wards, the ones who not only actually administer our medications and monitor us, but also be there as friends, confidants and companions in our most vulnerable moments. They 100% deserve double what they get right now. That someone would threaten their income, that governments would tell them to "get a higher paying job" to afford their own home is sickening.
Here's something I wrote for my nurses. They still have it stuck up in their locker room in my cancer ward =] http://nikhilthegrizzlybear...
As the Prime Minister of this country, Mr Abbott and other politicians on their many 100's of thousands of $$$ salary per year are entitling themselves to this enormous income because their role is a 24 hour one that requires a certain amount of expertise in their field. They hold a position that requires enormous responsibility; As do our hard working dedicated Dr's, nurses and Ambulance officers, paramedics and anyone else that hold the life of others in their dedicated hands. Why should they be in a position where their expertise is any less important than those of the higher paid politicians. Why should they be at risk of losing the little reward and incentive they receive for tirelessly dedicating any hour on any day of the week to engage in that profession? It is disgusting to think that a politician puts his right to his mega income so far above those receiving a pittance in comparison already that they now believe they have the right to reduce it as well. Leave your greedy little hands off the meagre reward these health professionals are getting for their tireless efforts. In fact if you were to reward them justly they would be earning somewhat near the same as you.
Are you suggesting that politicians are rewarding themselves their “mega incomes”? These should be set by an independent authority. Australia unfortunately has a written constitution which seems to result in dysfunctional governments that have considerable difficulty trying to pass budgets. A National Health System has to be paid for, which is dependant on the government being able to pass a budget. One could argue that politicians represent the interests of their voters therefore should be volunteering their service - this of course would mean only the very rich could afford to be members of Parliament.