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Minister for Home Affairs Clare O ’ Neill at the National Jobs Summit at Parliament House . Photo : NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage
“ This could mean thousands more nurses settling in the country this year .
The Perrottet government offered striking nurses a pay increase of 3.0 percent back in July , along with a ‘ thank-you ’ payment of $ 3,000 .
Both the NSW government and state opposition have yet to agree to introduce a new ratio system .
Overseas SOS
Migration reform to drive nurses into Australia .
By Eleanor Campbell
Overseas visas will be processed faster and foreign students will be able to work in the country longer under a plan to attract ‘ thousands ’ of nurses into Australia .
The federal government ’ s Job and Skills Summit saw peak nursing unions and advocates address ongoing skills and labour shortages in the health system .
Major changes to Australia ’ s permanent migration cap were announced on the second day , with numbers set to increase from 160,000 to 195,000 as of this year .
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government had yet to decide on the “ mix ” of temporary and permanent migration pathways .
“ I say very unashamedly that my starting point is in favour of giving people the security that comes with a path to permanent migration , a path to being an Australian citizen ,” Albanese told reporters .
“ It makes no sense for example to bring in a nurse for two years , three years , and then see them leave , then try to find another nurse to take that place , have them train , have them adapt to Australian conditions as well .”
Along with the 35,000 extra skilled migrants to be allowed in each year , the government will also expand post-work rights for international students – allowing them to work for two years after finishing their courses .
Home Affairs Minister Clare O ’ Neil said the reforms were a “ turning point ” for Australia .
“ Based on projections , this could mean thousands more nurses settling in the country this year ,” she said on Twitter .
Around 33 per cent of Australia ’ s nursing workforce were born overseas , according to the latest ABS data .
Research from Health Workforce Australia predicts that due to rising rates of chronic disease and an ageing population , the country could face a shortfall of around 100,000 nurses by 2025 .
According to the NSWMA , NSW only had 2,800 graduate nurses and midwives in the public sector this year alone .
On the first day of the jobs summit , the state ’ s nurses and midwives took strike action to draw attention to short-staffing and unsafe working conditions .
“ Nurses and midwives are leaving in droves because the health workforce has been neglected , the conditions are abhorrent , and the staffing system needs an overhaul ,” said NSWNMA assistant general secretary Michael Whaites .
“ We need safe staffing ratios in every ward , on every shift , in every hospital and health service .”
AGED CARE AT ‘ CRISIS POINT ’ Securing Australia ’ s future aged care workforce emerged as a headline issue during the two-day jobs summit .
In her keynote address , Grattan Institute chief Danielle Wood laid out the confronting reality facing the industry .
She quoted recent CEDA estimates that Australia would need an additional 35,000 care workers annually to meet future care needs .
“ This problem has been a long time in the making ,” Wood said .
“ High workloads and low pay are pushing people out of these sectors and making it unattractive for others to enter .
“ Properly remunerating care work is going to be critical to providing the quality and quantity of health , disability , and aged care services that our older population will need .”
Sue Gordon , a professor of healthy ageing at Flinders University , said aged care was at a ‘ crisis point ’ with around 70 per cent of providers losing money .
She said better training for workers was crucial to meeting increased demands for specialised care .
“ We do not have an adequate workforce in numbers or capability to meet the needs of older Australians ,” she said .
“ We can no longer have these silos of aged , primary and disability care . It isn ’ t working for us . We need to provide flexibility .”
Overall , the summit delivered 36 ‘ concrete ’ plans to tackle Australia ’ s economic challenges .
This included an additional $ 1 billion in joint federal-state funding for feefree TAFE , amending the Fair Work Act to strengthen access to flexible working arrangements , and improving access to jobs and training pathways for women .
In wrapping up the event Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the summit had “ exceeded even our most optimistic expectations ”. ■
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