About NPAA

How NPAA is Structured

By subscribing to Red Union Support Hub, you're joining a network of institutions that each provide part of your membership: your state association, NPAA and RUSH.

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How you're protected

Four components of your protection

Every NPAA member sits inside four connected entities, each with its own legal shape. Your state association is a company limited by guarantee, registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). NPAA itself is an incorporated association, registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria. Red Union Support Hub (RUSH) is the subscription service that connects the two, and the Mutual provides your Professional Indemnity.

  1. Red Union Support Hub subscription - the shared services layer behind every RUSH-affiliated association. RUSH is authorised by subscribers to join them as members to any relevant organisations for workplace protection.
  2. Membership of your State-based association - a professional body run by nurses, for nurses, dedicated to advancing the interests of the nursing profession and its members.
  3. NPAA membership (VNurses First Inc, ABN 67 781 423 526, t/a NPAA) - an industrial association whose principal purpose is to protect and promote the interests of members in matters concerning their employment or professional engagement, and includes your Professional Indemnity.
  4. Legal protection through Red Protect's referral and funding network for members' complex workplace issues.
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Key points

How your state association is governed

  1. Members' interests are our first and only interests. The state-based associations have no party political wing, or any other body that could take priority over members' interests.
  2. Zero political party contributions - the constitutions not only prohibit party-political financial contributions, any future executive who attempts it is personally liable for any members' money contributed to a political party or cause.
  3. Executive refreshment - other than for the inaugural period, the State President, Vice President and Treasurer must change every two years. There are no jobs for life in these associations.
  4. Separation of policy determination and service provision - the elected nurses' executive makes policy; the contracted service providers conduct service delivery.
  5. Devolved branch structure - members can form branches to represent regional, sectional or facilitative interests, with automatic fee-sharing and local decision-making.
  6. Policy developments focused on member benefits - policy is driven by working and practising nurse members.
Your state association

Find your state association’s constitution

Choose the state you work in to see your state association’s registered name, trading name and ACN, with a link to its constitution.

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Governing documents

One constitution for every NPAA member

NPAA is VNurses First Inc (ABN 67 781 423 526), trading as NPAA. Its constitution is the same for every nurse member across Australia, whichever state association you also belong to. It sets out the rules under which NPAA runs.

International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions support the right of workers to organise, and to form and join trade unions of their choice. Whatever barriers are put in place, we believe the defence of your right to choose is essential.

The detail

More on how NPAA and your state association work

Red Union Support Hub (RUSH) is a company that provides services to your relevant state-based association and NPAA, including administrative support and funding. RUSH organises each subscriber's membership of a state-based association, which is part of a network of state-based associations and institutions, and campaigns to advance the interests of the nursing profession and its members.

The state-based associations' constitutions provide the basis for a new type of organisation that focuses exclusively on protecting and promoting the workplace interests of its members. By subscribing to RUSH and being joined to a state-based association and NPAA, you get access to workplace support, enterprise bargaining, Professional Indemnity and more.

Each state-based association is built around its branches. It is a ground-up organisation, not a top-down one. The Branch Executive, who you elect, deals with all matters in your region. The branch also sends delegates to the State Convention, who elect the State Executive.

Our goal is to put decision-making in the hands of local workers rather than a centralised bureaucracy. We call that going local.

As part of your subscription, RUSH applies for membership on your behalf to the state-based association and pays that membership fee at no additional charge to you. As our services expand, we will also apply for membership of any other relevant state-based associations under the Red Union umbrella.

All fees paid to the state-based association go towards the honorariums and expenditure of its executives, and are presented for audit each year at the AGM.

None of your fees go to the ALP or any other political party. Our current fees are on the join page, so you can compare them with what you pay now.

Members can form branches to better represent regional, sectional or facilitative interests. The associations run from the members up, not from the top down.

Branches automatically get a share of the membership fees. They can also raise voluntary levies from the branch members involved to fund their specific interests. Branch finances are controlled by the branch executive, not the state executive, so the money is spent on what branch members want.

The constitutions set out a policy development process. It is driven by nurses, and policy on new nurse training, nurse ratios, the survival of the private hospital sector and AHPRA reform is already in development.

Policy will continue to be developed by working and practising nurse members, so it promotes what working nurses see as important. We only support public health policy issues that benefit nurses first and foremost.

NPAA is independent of the ALP, and none of your fees are donated to any political party. Our executive must be nurses, our policy is set by working nurses, and you choose who represents you.

Our friendly staff are always happy to answer any further questions you may have.

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