$2.6bn pay rise for aged care nurses

Across Australia, 60,000 aged care nurses are to benefit from a pay rise following an investment of $2.6 billion, the Australian Government has announced. This announcement brings the government’s total investment in support of award wage increases for aged care workers to $17.7 billion.

The funding will support aged care providers to meet the Fair Work Commission’s Aged Care Work Value Case decision, which was to increase award wages for registered and enrolled nurses caring for Australia’s older people. This decision will see an award wage increase by an average of around 12% for registered and enrolled nurses.

Increases are to be provided across three largely equal instalments on 1 March 2025, 1 October 2025 and 1 August 2026. The pay rises are to ensure that the aged care sector delivers a higher standard of care for older Australians, with the government stating that it is already having a positive impact on recruitment and retention in the sector and in relieving cost of living pressures for these workers.

“Aged care nurses are experts in their field and they deserve to be rewarded for the crucial role they play in delivering safe and quality care to older people in Australia,” Australia’s Minister for Aged Care and Sport Anika Wells said. “Under the Albanese Labor government, registered nurses working in aged care on the award wage are $430 a week better off, and enrolled nurses are $370 a week better off.”

More information is available here, via the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Image credit: iStock.com/Frazao Studio Latino