Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Tomorrow is Thank You for Working in Aged Care Day, and I would like to recognise Australia's aged-care workers: personal care workers, nurses, allied health professionals, cleaners and cooks in aged care. We all know you work long hours, day after day, doing the important work of looking after the older Australians who worked so hard to nurture us for years and build the nation that we have today. With the recent handing down of the report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, this is a pivotal time to recognise your efforts. Yet personal care workers with the same skills are paid 25 per cent to 30 per cent less than the same workers in the disability care sector. This is just unfair, and that is why I urge the government to express its support for the applications to the Fair Work Commission for aged-care workers to receive the same fair pay. If we all acknowledge the sector needs to attract and retain more people to this important work, we need to support them to receive fair pay and fair conditions, otherwise ultimately our older Australians will lose out on the better care that they deserve.