Memorandum of understanding and Palm scheme
Aged Care Migration Programs
General information and guidelines
Memorandum of Understanding
On 5 May 2023, Federal Minister’s Giles and Wells announced a new tripartite approach to address workforce shortages in aged care through the creation of the new Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement. The new Industry Labour Agreement will streamline the recruitment of suitably experienced or qualified direct care workers for aged care.
To access the Industry Labour Agreement, employers must first enter a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant union.
If you are an aged care provider, or acting on behalf of an aged care provider, and the organisation is seeking to access the Industry Labour Agreement, please use our Contact Us page and we will respond within 10 business days.Â
If you are not yet ready to commence Memorandum of Understanding discussions but would like additional information, please take a look at the template Memorandum of Understanding or visit the Department of Home Affairs:
Note:Â Other unions that represent aged care workers include the United Workers Union, and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation. The applicable union for the Memorandum of Understanding will depend on the occupation group you seek to engage under the Industry Labour Agreement, the settings for service (residential or home care) and the state or territory where the services are provided. There may be instances where more than one union will be party to the Memorandum of Understanding. For the Health Services Union, the discussions will take place with the applicable branch of the union.
PALM Scheme
The Health Services Union represents aged care workers participating in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. If you are an Approved Employer under the scheme and you are needing to arrange an on-arrival briefing with the union, please contact the relevant branch:Â
NSW/ACT/QLD: info@hsu.asn.au
SA/NT: info@hsusant.org.au
VIC: info@hwu.org.au
TAS: assist@hacsu.org.au
If you are unsure which branch to contact, please forward the invitation to: hsu@hsu.net.au
Note: Other unions that represent aged care workers include the United Workers Union, and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation. The applicable union for on-arrival PALM aged care worker briefings will depend on the state or territory where the PALM workers are engaged. There may be instances where more than one union will eligible to attend the briefing and will need to be contacted.