Aged care pay boost a win for workers and senior Territorians
4 May 2023
The Federal Government’s announcement today that it will provide a boost to aged care workers’ pay to the tune of $11.3 billion over four years will go a long way to ensuring Australia gets the quality aged care system we all deserve says COTA NT, the leading advocacy organisation for seniors in the Northern Territory.
The Federal Government has today confirmed it will pay the 15% pay increase for aged care workers, as recommended by the Fair Work Commission, from 1 July 2023. Experts in aged care including the Aged Care Royal Commissioners have long agreed that raising wages in aged care is essential to achieving better outcomes in the system.
“You can’t have a great aged care system if you’re not paying the people working in the system what they deserve,” Ms Shearer said.
“The aged care workforce is essential to ensuring the health, wellbeing and dignity of tens of thousands of senior Territorians. And seniors know that paying workers fairly for the job they do is crucial.
“There’s no doubt the aged care workforce has been undervalued for far too long. This is a terrific announcement and one which will make a marked difference to the sectors’ ability to attract and retain quality aged care workers in the Northern Territory and in Australia.
“This funding boost can help ease the workforce pressures and ensure nurses are available 24/7 – a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care and something seniors have long advocated for.”
Ms Shearer added that it is critical there is transparency in the system to ensure the money is going directly to the workers and isn’t just going to the providers’ bottom line.
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