Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

EMPLEMAN () (): My support of aged-care workers and my advocacy for a pay rise for them is no secret in this place. So I was really pleased to see the Fair Work Commission's interim decision for an increase to minimum wages of at least 15 per cent for of aged-care workers in direct care roles on a number of different awards. But that isn't all. The commission has also announced a process to work out the timing of the increase and to look at possible further increases for these workers and, importantly, whether to also grant a pay rise for aged-care administrative and support staff.

Aged-care workers, their unions and the sector have argued long and hard for an increase. I've been supporting them for a decade to achieve decent pay that reflects the value of caring for our older Australians. Our government promised to fight for a pay rise for Australia's aged-care workers—and we did. We made a submission to the Fair Work Commission in August that supported a significant wage increase. The government's submission also made it clear that we would fund an increase to award wages—and we will. If we don't start paying aged-care workers properly we won't attract and retain enough staff to provide the quality care that older Australians and their families rightly expect. We said we'd get wages moving and we are.