CoNNMO are a coalition of national nursing and midwifery organisations.

The Coalition of National Nursing and Midwifery Organisations represents a diverse group of nursing and midwifery organisations. Since an informal forum in 1991 sponsored by the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation, the National Nursing Organisations (NNO) have been meeting regularly. The membership includes 63 national nursing and midwifery organisations, each focusing on a different area of specialist nursing or midwifery practice. The coalition includes groups of diverse organisational structures: organisations are variously titled as colleges, associations, universities; societies, councils, confederations, a federation, congress, networks and institutes. Some are incorporated but many are not. They vary in size - some are very small, and may have as few as 20 members, while the largest represents over 320,000 members - over half the nursing and midwifery workforce. Some are set up to be principally networks for dissemination of information; others indicate a broader range of functions and purposes including: to promote and/or provide education; promote the profession and specifically their individual specialty through professional representation; promote scholarship; advance knowledge; provide a forum for collegial support; maintenance and improvement of professional standards; initiate and support research; communicate with colleagues; provide leadership; promote public confidence and professional recognition; provide advice; participate in policy development; develop and promote new health care initiatives; advocate for members; enhance clinical expertise; develop and publish educational materials; develop partnerships and strategic alliances; provide and facilitate professional development; consult with government; and raise community awareness.

In 2007, a new governance structure was determined which included a name change to the Coalition of National Nursing Organisations (CoNNO) followed by the election of an inaugural Council in 2008. The establishment of the Governance Framework represented a new, more formalised phase in the life of the Coalition. CoNNO aims to include all member organisations in the processes leading to decisions and have a consensus process for achieving outcomes.

At the June 2015 meeting of CoNNO Council, members discussed a possible name change for CoNNO to include midwifery. Accordingly, a proposal was made to CoNNO member organisations at the October 2015 member meeting to include midwifery in the CoNNO name. CoNNO member organisation representatives at the October meeting voted unanimously to approve the name change. At the December meeting of CoNNO Council it was determined the name would be the Coalition of National Nursing & Midwifery Organisations (CoNNMO).

CoNNMO meets biannually, and these meetings are supported with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health. The Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF) provides the secretariat for CoNNMO, acts as a fund holder for the group and is responsible for the day to day operations of CoNNMO.

Vision

The vision of the Coalition of National Nursing & Midwifery Organisations is to be an authoritative alliance influencing health care across the lifespan, for the Australian community, through the profession of nursing.

Objectives

In order to achieve its Vision, the Coalition of National Nursing & Midwifery Organisations will:

• Promote recognition of nursing as essential to the health and wellbeing of the Australian community
• Provide leadership in the national debate on health and public policy
• Be a forum for discussion and consultation on professional matters
• Facilitate communication between member organisations and other stakeholders
• Be a recognised conduit for access within and to the nursing profession
• Assist the development of governance and capacity of member organsiations
• Ensure CoNNMO remains robust using the principles of good governance