ANF: report shows why government must close aged care wages gap

Published: 5 September 2011

A new report revealing an increased demand for nursing home places shows why the Gillard Government must inject $500 million to close the wages gap for Australia‟s under-resourced aged care workforce, the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) said today.

The report, by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) revealed a 23 per cent rise in the number of elderly Australians living in residential aged care. According to the report, more than half of nursing home and hostel residents are aged over 85. Seven out of 10 residents in aged care experience complex health issues.

"The aged care sector urgently needs more than 20,000 extra nursing staff to meet the demand of Australia‟s ageing population," ANF Federal Secretary Lee Thomas explained.

"Unfortunately, nurses in aged care are paid significantly less than their colleagues – making between $168 and $300 on average less per week than nurses working in hospitals.

"It is now crucial that the Gillard Government must step-in and close the wages gap with a $500 million injection of funding – it‟s the only way we can recruit and retain nursing staff we desperately need in aged care.

"This will ensure we attract more nurses to aged care so that elderly Australians living in nursing homes receive the quality care they deserve.

"Unless the Government closes the wages gap, there will be no workforce left to care the increasing number of elderly Australians needing care in nursing homes."

The ANF‟s national Because We Care campaign is urging Prime Minister Gillard to honour her commitment of fixing aged care in the second term of Government.

"The Government must ensure that Budget 2012 is the „Aged Care Budget‟, for the sake of elderly Australians, their families and aged care nurses and assistants in nursing," Ms Thomas added.

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