Media statement

05 May 2014

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia recognises the International Day of the Midwife.

Recognising a special day for midwives

On behalf of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (National Board), I would like to recognise the important contribution the 33,436 midwives in Australia make to health and well being of women, their families and the community more broadly.

We join the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of the Midwife on Monday 5 May 2014 in the theme that has accompanied the international day of the midwife across years: The World Needs Midwives Now More than Ever.

This year, the new subtheme of Midwives changing the world one family at a time celebrates the work that you do in caring for whole families. Such is your impact.

The overarching theme and sub-theme of the International Day of the Midwife continue in relevance and readiness for the 2015 deadline for realising the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The National Board has funded a number of projects that address aspects of midwifery regulation including:

• Supervision of midwives
• Safety and quality framework for midwives, now in public consultation on our website, and
• Review of the Midwifery standards for practice.

We know that adequately educated and resourced professional midwives impact on improved outcomes for women and their babies. The National Board supports this by making sure that only midwives who are suitably trained and qualified to practice in a competent and ethical manner are registered.

We stay committed to supporting midwives to practise to their full scope and to provide safe maternity care for Australian women and their families.

Dr Lynette Cusack, RN
Presiding Member
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers)
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media statment - Recognising a special day for midwives (49.2 KB,PDF)