2022-23 Federal Budget: No sign of commitment to an increasingly fragile aged care workforce

A notable absence from the 22-23 budget announcement was the commitment from the government to support an increase in wages for aged care workers, despite pleas from across the sector, unions, and consumer groups alike.

Aged-care workers currently care for more than 1.3 million Australians, both in the home and in residential settings. Demand for workers is rapidly increasing due to demographic changes, increases to minimum staffing levels and new funding to address unmet demand.

Liam Mayo, CEO of Comlink Australia, said “Our aged care workforce has the responsibility of caring for the most cherished people in our community. The work they do every day supports people to live and age well in their homes and in their communities. Our workforce walks an intimate journey of aging in Australia and deserve to be acknowledged for this work and renumerated appropriately.”

Comlink Australia stands by the Australian Aged Care Collaboration’s pre-budget request for a Workforce Partnership Supplement to increase wages, training, workforce retention and nursing costs, and will continue to apply pressure on the Government to review the current industry awards.

Handed down by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday evening for “a stronger future”, the 2022–23 Budget includes $468 million to continue the aged care reforms, bringing the government’s total five-pillar response package to the royal commission to $18.8 billion. #staffing #agedcareaustralia #budget2022 #agedcare #comlinkaustralia #notforprofit #agedcare