Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Spence for his question and for his personal commitment to making sure that every opportunity is available to young people in his electorate. For the last 2½ years, the Albanese government has been on a mission to lift the quality of aged care in Australia—to make a career in aged care something that you aspire to to create a better life for yourself and to make sure that, whether you are a kitchen hand in Perth, a personal care worker in Dalby or a registered nurse in Randwick, you feel valued and respected and that the doors of opportunity are open for you.

We have ensured that workers get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, investing $15.1 billion to deliver a pay rise in aged care. Underneath the Albanese Labor government, registered nurses are now taking home an additional $196 per week, or more than $10,000 a year, extra. Personal care workers are now taking home an additional $141 per week, or $7,300 a year, extra. And then we delivered a tax cut so that workers aren't just earning more but keeping more of what they earn. A registered nurse on a level 1.3 award wage is receiving a tax cut of $1,745. A personal care worker with a certificate III qualification is receiving a tax cut of $1,166.

Our work to support and strengthen the aged-care workforce has not stopped there. Yesterday the Prime Minister announced that, if re-elected, the Albanese government will wipe 20 per cent of student debt for everyone and make minimum repayments fairer. A registered nurse with a $20,000 HECS debt will see $4,000 wiped off their bill. A personal care worker earning $60,000 will have to pay back $600 a year less.

To make sure we're not just growing the workforce but growing a skilled workforce, we will continue to fund fee-free TAFE. So far 130,000 students have taken up this opportunity in aged care and in disability care. I travelled to Far North Queensland and met with a personal care worker named Clyde who had a cert III. He told me that he was only able to do his cert III because of Labor's pay rise. He told me that he wants to go on now and do a certificate IV and then eventually get his bachelor's, all while continuing his career in aged care.

I have good news for Clyde. Under a re-elected Albanese government, fee-free TAFE will be here to stay. That's what we've been working towards, and that's who we have been working for. We've been working for people like Clyde who have aspirations to create a better life for themselves and for their families. Those opposite might think that these jobs don't matter, but I can tell you that care economy jobs are real jobs. They're looking after older Australians. What job could be more real than that? (Time expired)

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