Australian Government Set to Enforce Pay Transparency Measures in Aged Care Sector: Non-Compliant Providers to be Revealed

The Australian government has implemented measures to promote pay transparency in the aged care sector, with plans to reveal any aged care providers that fail to pass on the complete 15% wage increase to their employees. This move is aimed at resolving the ongoing dispute between unions and employers regarding the distribution of the wage hike.

Anika Wells expressed her readiness to address the shortage of staff in the aged care sector, acknowledging that a considerable number of workers are still required to fulfill Labor's commitment of increased care minutes by October and 24/7 nursing coverage by July. In March, official documents from the Health Department disclosed that this pledge would result in a deficit of approximately 25,000 workers within a span of two years.

“Workforce shortage is the number one issue in aged care,” Wells said at a Canberra aged care home on Thursday.

“That being said, that should not mean that older Australians should go without or have a substandard level of care because we can’t get the workers in.”

Although the budget allocation to cover the wage increase granted by the Fair Work Commission in the previous year was generally well-received, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation expressed disapproval towards the government for not making the funding conditional on the providers fulfilling their promise to pass on the entire increase.

“Trust is not enough. As we’ve seen with previous government investments in aged care, with no accountability mechanisms in place, the money never actually gets into workers’ pockets,” Annie Butler, the federation’s federal secretary, said.

Rather than directly financing the full salaries of aged care employees, the Australian government provides subsidies to the sector.

How can I find a residential aged care home near me?

Residential aged care homes are located throughout Australia. To begin your search, simply click on your state below and then enter in your desired suburb (or the name of the aged care provider if you already have a home in mind):

• Aged care in the ACT
• Aged care in New South Wales
• Aged care in the Northern Territory
• Aged care in Queensland
• Aged care in South Australia
• Aged care in Tasmania
• Aged care in Victoria
• Aged care in Western Australia