Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. What has the Albanese Labor government done to repair and rebuild our aged-care workforce? Why was this necessary?

Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hunter for his question, and I thank him for the work that he's doing to improve the health of men all across our country, including through his most recent and certainly most successful hair removal experience.

When we came to government, we inherited an aged-care sector crippled by a decade of neglect, a workforce stretched to breaking point, wages that failed to reflect the skill and professionalism of the job and a system held together only by the dedication and sheer hard work of its workforce. Let me say this clearly: aged-care workers are the backbone of our system. They are skilled, compassionate professionals who show up every day for our loved ones. They deserve a government that shows up for them, and that's exactly what this Albanese Labor government is doing.

While those opposite spent years fighting amongst themselves, dividing, delaying and denying the royal commission's most urgent calls, we got on with the job of rebuilding the workforce that older Australians rely upon. We've delivered the biggest pay rise in the history of aged care. So far, there have been four rounds of fully funded pay rises recognising aged-care work as the professional essential work that it is. Today, the average registered nurse is making $28,000 more than they did before, meaning the award has increased by $550 a week. These are life-changing numbers. There is no better cost-of-living help than a pay rise. Valuing workers isn't just good policy; it's how you deliver better care.

We've also made 24/7 nursing and aged-care homes a reality. Getting nurses back into nursing homes is now a legislated requirement met by nearly every facility in the country. We have introduced mandatory care minutes and strengthened regulations so every older person receives the safe, person-centred attention and care that they're entitled to. This is about lifting standards and lifting the status of the workforce. We have invested in a pipeline of workers for the future, funding thousands of free TAFE places, retention payments and scholarships alongside better migration settings for targeted roles.

Workforce shortages don't vanish overnight but the difference is this: we have a plan and we are delivering on it side-by-side with the incredible aged-care workers who make this system run, not at their expense. After a decade of division and drift, we're delivering renewal. While those opposite look for the next fight, this Labor government will keep valuing workers, lifting standards and building a system that gives every older Australian the dignity and the respect that they deserve.