WELCOME TO AUSTRALIAN NURSES AND MIDWIVES CONFEENCE 2025

HOUSEKEEPING

Registration

Please make sure you check in at the ANMF registration desk in the morning of the conference. If you are attending both days, please make sure you have officially checked in each day.

Certificates of attendance will only be emailed to attendees who have registered their attendance with ANMF staff on the day(s) of the conference.

Assistance

ANMF staff will be available at the ANMF registration desk for the duration of the conference to help you with any queries you may have.

The venue

This conference is taking place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), with your main sessions taking place in Plenary 3 and your concurrent sessions taking place on level 2 in the following rooms:

212/213, 217, 219 and 220

A map of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has been provided to you. Please familiarise yourself with the map to locate your concurrent sessions ahead of time. Both keynote and concurrent session locations have been highlighted.

Changeover between sessions

All concurrent sessions are 25 minutes in length (inclusive of 20 minutes presentation time plus five minutes question time). There is a five-minute changeover period between sessions.

Please ensure you arrive promptly to your pre-selected session. ANMF staff will be on hand during session changeover to assist you in finding your next session room.

Photography and filming

This event may be photographed and filmed. If you have any concerns, please speak with an ANMF staff member during the conference.

Dietary requirements

There is a space for conference participants who nominated a dietary requirement on their registration form. Please note vegetarians will be catered for in the main catering area, unless otherwise sign-posted.

Trade display

Please take a moment to visit the trade area of all our traders at this year’s conference, including those of our wonderful conference sponsors – HESTA, Aware Super and Nurses & Midwives Health.

Smoking and vaping

Smoking and vaping are not permitted in the building. Please use the outside smoking area (on the ground floor) if you wish to smoke or vape.

Cloak room

Cloaking facilities for your luggage can be located on the ground level of MCEC, near the main reception close to the Novotel and Goldfields Theatre. Please note that no luggage may be able to be taken into any of the conference presentation spaces and cannot be stored at the ANMF registration desk.

Evaluation

We value all attendee feedback about ANMF events and ask that you take a minute to complete our evaluation form to help us improve our service and conference organisation.

The form can be accessed by via this link.

This link will also be emailed to you in the week following the conference. Those who complete the evaluation will be entered into a draw to win a prize generously donated by one of our sponsors.

Emergencies

MCEC staff will be on hand to guide you in case of emergency. Please ensure you listen to and comply with all instructions issued.

Certificates

Certificates will be emailed to you one week following the conference.

Conference presentations

PowerPoint presentations made available by conference speakers for distribution will be uploaded to the ANMF website one month on from the conference. You will be notified by email when they become available to view.

DAY 1 - THURSDAY 1 MAY

8am	Registration
9am	Welcome to Country
9.10am	Conference open – day 1 Madeleine Harradence, Acting Secretary, ANMF (Vic Branch)
9.20am	Conference welcome and housekeeping Rachel Halse, Professional Officer, ANMF (Vic Branch)
9.25am	Our work being deeply human, we must be a voice for good – advocating for those with disabilities Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, disability advocate and researcher, 2021 Queensland Australian of the Year, co-founder: Doctors with Disabilities Australia
10.10am	Gold sponsor address: HESTA
10.15am	Morning tea
10.45am	The Victorians Women’s Health Advisory Council and ANMF’s advocacy Madeleine Harradence, Acting Secretary, ANMF (Vic Branch)
11.20am	Equally Well in action – why people with mental illness are dying prematurely, and what we can do about it Associate Professor Caroline Johnson, Academic Specialist in Primary Care, University of Melbourne
12.15pm	Lunch
1.05 - 1.30pm	Concurrent sessions 1
1A – Midwifery Room 217	1B – Nursing Room 219	1C – ICU Room 212/213	1D - OHS Room 220
Safer Care Victoria – midwifery updates Elisa McDonald, Senior Maternity Advisor, Clinical Professional Leadership Unit, Safer Care Victoria	Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – strengthening the chain of survival Professor Janet Bray, Heart Foundation Fellow, Monash University, Adjunct Professor, Curtin University	ICU skill mix and patient outcomes – a focus on adverse events Paul Ross, CNS, Clinical Research Nurse and PhD Candidate, Intensive Care Unit, Alfred Hospital	Developing a reporting culture: learning from near misses and hazards in healthcare Mark Carter, Interim Head of Workplace Relations, Health and Safety People and Culture, Forensicare
1.35 - 2pm	Concurrent sessions 2
2A – Midwifery Room 217	2B – Nursing Room 219	2C – Leadership Room 220	2D - OHS Room 212/213
Endorsed midwives working to scope – an opportunity for the rural public health sector Caitlin Fehring, Midwifery Group Practice Unit Manager, Cohuna District Hospital	Public health messaging by emergency nurses during disasters in Australia Dr Nicole Coombs, Senior Lecturer, Nursing, Deputy Director, Research, Collaborative Evaluation and Research Center, Federation University Australia	Through the lens of nursing leadership: fostering civility in Australian rural and regional health and aged care settings Marianne Ota, PhD Candidate, Federation University	Presenting and responding to work-related gendered violence including sexual harassment Jodi Peskett, Program Officer, Psychological Health Programs, WorkSafe Victoria
2.05 - 2.30pm	Concurrent sessions 3
3A – Midwifery Room 217	3B – Nursing Room 219	3C – Cancer nursing	3D - OHS Room 212/213
FUCHSIA Report and ANMF-supported midwifery research Robyn Matthews, Research Fellow, La Trobe University, research midwife/nurse and clinical midwife specialist, The Royal Women’s Hospital	Cystic fibrosis nurse-led models of care Elena Sunderland, Clinical Nurse Consultant, and Nicola Reardon, Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Nurse Consultant, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne	Session cancelled, please choose another session	“The HUSH Project”: a quiet revolution for better sleep in hospitals Corey Adams, Clinical Researcher, Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI)
2.35pm	Afternoon tea
3pm	Skilled migration visa pathways for nursing and midwifery Natalie Walsh, Business, Industry and Regional Outreach Officer, Department of Home Affairs
3.40pm	Prevent alcohol and risk-related trauma in youth (the P.A.R.T.Y. Program) at the Alfred Hospital Sue Smith, Associate Nurse Manager, Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre, TRR Research Officer Trauma Service, Coordinator, P.A.R.T.Y. Program
4.20pm	Conference close – day 1 Alana Ginnivan, Professional Officer, ANMF (Vic Branch)

DAY 2 - FRIDAY 2 MAY

8am	Registration
9am	Conference open – day 2 Samantha Casey, Assistant Secretary, ANMF (Vic Branch)
9.05am	Making big messages small – understanding dynamics and the Bluey effect Joe Brumm, Australian animator, director and writer, creator: Bluey
9.50am	Miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support Rachel Ficinus, Director, Bereavement Services, Red Nose Grief and Loss
10.10am	EBA improvements – changes and improvements to primary carers leave Madeleine Harradence, Acting Secretary, ANMF (Vic Branch)
10.30am	Silver sponsor address – Aware Super
10.35am	Morning tea
11.05 - 11.30am	Concurrent sessions 4
4A – Midwifery Room 212/213	4B – Mental health nursing Room 219	4C – ICU Room 220	4D & 5D – OHS Room 217
The Maryborough Model: sexual & reproductive health care Sarah Grundy, Endorsed Midwife, Sexual and Reproductive Advice Clinic, Maryborough District Health Service	The neuroplastic narrative and neuro-ecological diversity: drawing on neuroscience and evolutionary biology to advance ACE aware, trauma-informed approaches Dr Haley Peckham PhD, Living Experience Researcher / Mental Health Nursing Lecturer, Centre for Mental Health Nursing, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne	Developing a nurse-led MET call system Alissa Starritt, ICU Liaison Nurse, Footscray Hospital, Western Health	OHS Panel discussion: Hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods management Perdita Dickson, Manager, Occupational Health and Operational Programs, Prevention, Strategy and Planning Division, WorkSafe Victoria Jen Gamble, Associate Nurse Unit Manager, Anaesthetic Equipment Nurse and HSR, University Hospital Geelong Gaye Coles, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Anaesthetics and HSR, University Hospital Geelong
11.35 - 12pm	Concurrent sessions 5
5A – Midwifery Room 220	5B – Nursing Room 219	5C – Research
PIPER service (Paediatric, Infant, Perinatal Emergency Retrieval) Donna Miller, Nurse Unit Manager, PIPER, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne	Nurse Practitioners lead the way Rose McCrohan, Withdrawal Service, Manager / AOD and MH Nurse Practitioner, Adult & Mother Baby Withdrawal Unit, Uniting ReGen	Session cancelled, please choose another session
12.05 - 12.30pm	Concurrent sessions 6
6A – Midwifery Room 217	6B – Nursing Room 212/213	6C – Leadership Room 219	6D - OHS Room 220
Let's talk about breastfeeding (baby). Some things you might not know about ABA – but should Dr Jennifer Hocking, Professional Engagement Lead, Growth and Engagement Team, WHO Code Advocacy Project Officer, Australian Breastfeeding Association	Mental Health Royal Commission – reform already achieved Pam Anders, A/Deputy Secretary, Mental Health and Wellbeing Division, Victorian Department of Health	Breaking barriers: advancing women nurses in healthcare leadership Mihirika Pincha Baduge, CCRN, RN, PhD candidate, Monash Centre for Health Research Implementation	The link between mental health and cardiovascular health – what this means in the workplace context Adrienne O’Neil, Principal Research Fellow, Deakin University
12.30pm	Lunch
1.15pm	Respectful pronouns – mindfully navigating gender and identity at work Brayden Crane, advocate and founder, Crane Consulting (LGBTIQ+ Organisational Inclusion – Training, Consulting and Project Work)
2.05pm	Family and domestic violence – a preventable and killer disease Arman Abrahimzadeh, Councillor, Speaker, Advocate, Zahra Foundation Australia
2.55pm	Foundations of the ANMF gender equity Fair Work Commission case Kristen Wischer, Senior Federal Industrial Officer, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation
3.40pm	Conference close – day 2 Alana Ginnivan, Professional Officer, ANMF (Vic Branch)

Disclaimer: ANMF (Vic Branch) will endeavour to ensure that the speakers and content for this conference proceed as advertised. However, we may have to replace a speaker unexpectedly. ANMF (Vic Branch) disclaims any liability for any errors/omissions in information provided at this conference

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PRESENT AT THE AUSTRALIAN NURSES AND MIDWIVES CONFERENCE 2026

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