Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to welcome the decision of the Fair Work Commission last Friday to award Australia's aged-care workers a 15 per cent pay increase, with the possibility of more to come. Last sitting period I had the pleasure of chatting to Glenda and Mandy, two passionate, dedicated aged-care professionals who came to parliament as part of a delegation of workers from the United Workers Union. I believe we have another United Workers Union delegation in the gallery today. Many thanks to the union for your work representing aged-care and childcare workers and other low-paid workers who are vital to our society. Glenda and Mandy typify what Australians already know—that aged-care workers really are the unsung heroes of our society, and for too long they have not been recognised as such in the wages.

In its ruling last week, the Fair Work Commission accepted that the workers in the aged-care sector were underpaid and that feminised industries like the caring professions have been historically undervalued, likely on the basis of gender. This ruling, which the government proudly supports, is just the beginning of the work needed to properly resource and recognise the aged-care sector. I'm pleased to say the aged-care providers I have spoken to have also welcomed this decision as helping them to attract and retain quality workers in the sector. I and the Albanese government will continue to advocate for aged-care workers and other vital workers until their essential contribution is recognised accordingly.