Sarah Beaman
Candidate for Secretary
I am the current Secretary of the QNMU. I am a proud RN and QNMU member since 1997.
Under my leadership, the QNMU has secured an LNP government commitment to maintain nation-leading wages and conditions for Queensland Health members, historic pay rises for private hospital members, and much-deserved increases to wages in aged care.
I stand up for members, and have done so as a union organiser, professional officer, director, and active member.
It was in 2013, when over 2,000 nurses and midwives were sacked, that I stepped up my activism in the QNMU to support my colleagues.
Now, as QNMU Secretary, I don't hesitate to speak truth to power. I address the critical issues you care about - unsafe workloads, insufficient staffing, violence, and cost of living pressures - through media engagement, political dialogue and being at the table.
Leading a union of over 74,000 members, I harness our collective power to secure the best outcomes for nursing and midwifery.
I continue to have the immense privilege of being mentored by previous QNMU Secretary, Beth Mohle.
Our QNMU Members United Team has a track record of success, a plan to keep nursing and midwifery strong, and we're asking for your vote.
Support for Sarah
“I first met Sarah Beaman many years ago, when she was a passionate workplace activist and I was QNMU Secretary. What really struck me about Sarah was her level of passion and commitment, along with her calm, inclusive, fair and even-handed approach.
Subsequently I got to work closely with Sarah when she came to work for our union, firstly as an Organiser and then in leadership roles. I saw first-hand Sarah’s hard work, dedication, courage and curiosity. She focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of problems, not merely treating the symptoms. Sarah knows how important it is to have evidence-based plans if we are to bring about the necessary changes. Sarah doesn’t think that “someone should do something about that”, she gets on and accepts responsibility for doing what is required. Most importantly she works so effectively with others, knowing that we achieve better outcomes through collective action.
Sarah is a passionate nurse unionist who is not deterred when confronted by challenges, and we are certainly in challenging times. She is focused steadfastly on advancing the professions of nursing and midwifery and the democratically set strategic objectives of our union.
Sarah has great heart and passion, but she is also focused and tenacious. She is a formidable nurse unionist who clearly demonstrates that you can both deeply care while at the same time being strong. I know how challenging her job is and strongly recommend that you vote for Sarah in our upcoming union election.”
— Beth Mohle (QNMU Secretary 2011 - 2022)
“Until recently I was a QNMU Workplace Rep in the private sector: since 2003.
I am confident that in Sarah and Grant we have strong unionist’s who will continue to put QNMU members first, advocate for our communities and have a great understanding of professional aspects of Nurses and Midwives.
We can continue to trust they will advocate for Nurses and Midwives working in all sectors in Queensland. QNMU will continue to grow with Sarah as Secretary and Grant as Assistant Secretary.”
— Cathy Rose
“I have had the pleasure of working with Sarah in many roles during her time at the QNMU, from grass roots organiser to Secretary. Over that time, with each new role, she has demonstrated courage, tenacity, diligence and integrity in her interactions with all those with whom she conducts the work of the Union. She has a strong sense of professional identity, never losing her understanding of the lived experience of front line nurses, nor does she dismiss the challenges that formal nursing executive roles present. With her innate ability to build trusting relationships, and her interest based approach to resolving matters, Sarah is more than ready to lead the QNMU in these current volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times. I strongly endorse Sarah as the candidate for Secretary of the QNMU as I believe she will bring the strength, determination, strategic intention and action required to continue to grow the QNMU and deliver for members each and every day.”