Coalition fails to address workforce issues in aged care

The recent announcement of the Coalition regarding aged care failed to address the significant workforce challenges in the sector.

The Health Services Union is disappointed that after eleven years of government the Coalition has failed to deal with the workforce issues facing the sector at a time when the need for aged care is increasing as a greater proportion of the population gets older.

Continuing skills shortages within the aged care workforce have not been sufficiently addressed. This has been exacerbated by the failure of the government to provide wage parity between the aged and acute care sectors.

Aged care workers around the country earn literally thousands of dollars less per year than those with equivalent skills and experience working in public hospitals. An Allied Health Assistant in WA is likely to receive up to $10,851 less per year than their counterpart working in a public hospital. With similar outcomes in all aged care occupations across the country the sector struggles to recruit and retain workers.

The Coalition has failed to provide a transparent funding mechanism to ensure that wages and conditions in the sector are in line with those available to workers in the acute care sector and therefore has failed to value the important contribution that aged care workers make to our community.

The Howard government continues to fail to introduce mandated minimum staffing levels in aged care and in September this year rejected a bipartisan recommendation of a Senate Committee Inquiry to have the Accreditation Agency consult with the sector and consumers to develop a benchmark of care to ensure that the staffing levels and skills mix in residential aged care facilities are sufficient.

Without addressing the workforce issues in aged care the sector will struggle to meet the growing demands of an ageing population.

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