Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

They refused to say they'd fund a pay rise. We put in a submission that said, 'The Commonwealth will provide funding to support any increases to award wages.' What difference did that make? It meant a 15 per cent pay rise was awarded. It meant, for a level 4 direct-care employee, they now earn more than $5 an hour extra. That's nearly $200 extra a week. That's more than $10,000 extra a year. That's why we are now seeing people being able to be retained and returning to the workforce and choosing to be trained for the workforce.

It was the deputy leader, today the acting leader, who said, 'There are concerns out there today about the actual collapse of the aged-care system as we know it.' Well, what we have seen is: now there are nurses in nursing homes—98 per cent compliance. (Time expired)

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