workforce
Australia ’ s Treasurer Jim Chalmers estimated the pay rise for aged care workers would cost $ 1.9bn per year . Picture : Martin Ollman / News Corp Australia .
‘ More work to be done ’
Accountability concerns rise as aged care workers await wage hike
By Elise Hartevelt
Concerns are mounting among industry experts about the government ’ s lack of enforceable rules to ensure the pay rise funds are distributed fairly .
The Australian government committed $ 11.3bn over five years to fund the 15 per cent pay rise and on-costs for over 250,000 aged care workers .
But as the implementation date of July 1 draws closer , sector representatives disagree over the government ’ s lack of concrete measures
26 agedcareinsite . com . au to guarantee the wages are passed on to the workers .
So far , employers are not legally obligated to distribute the governmentfunded pay increase to their employees .
“ This lack of accountability is concerning ,” Charles Sturt University professor and aged care expert Maree Bernoth said .
“ Taxpayers and people who care about the wellbeing of older people want to ensure the funds are actually used for those purposes .
“ It ’ s essential to value and appreciate the dedication of these workers who care for and support our vulnerable and frail older people .”
The government is funding the pay rise for aged care workers through subsidies to the sector rather than directly into the workers ’ pockets .
This decision drew criticism from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation ( ANMF ), which argued that relying solely on trust was ‘ insufficient .’
The ANMF ’ s distrust was ignited after receiving reports from workers claiming providers were trying to lock them into new enterprise agreements ( EBAs ) to ‘ game the system .’
“ As we ’ ve seen before , with no accountability mechanisms in place , the money never actually gets into workers ’ pockets ,” ANMF federal secretary Annie Butler said .
Ms Butler said she feared the 15 per cent increase on top of award rates might surpass the wages of those under enterprise