The federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has said the nursing workforce shortage in Tasmania is a "concern" after visiting the state last week.
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ANMF federal secretary Annie Butler made the comments at the federation's annual delegates conference held on Thursday.
She said while nurses and midwives in all states and territories were struggling, the pay conditions in Tasmania meant nurses were facing increased workloads for less money.
"Unfortunately, Tasmanian nurses and midwives and aged care workers aren't paid as well as many of their counterparts across Australia," she said.
"It must be a particular concern right at the moment when other states are desperate for nurses and midwives.
"We do need to work on immediate short, medium and long-term solutions to alleviate this workforce shortage and I have to say I come to this conference today to bring the national experience and share that with our Tasmanian ANMF members."
Following a poor relationship with the previous federal government, Ms Butler said she was hopeful the new government would take proactive steps to address the workforce shortage on a national level.
"Don't mistake my enthusiasm for praising the new government. I am praising the aspect that suddenly doors have opened," she said.
"It's still surprising me because I'm so used to the previous system... a collaborative relationship, of course, you could refer to it as the honeymoon period, but we know we've got the really hard work to do and we're not going to let it drop for a moment."
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