Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It really is no secret that the aged-care system has been in crisis for well over a decade. I applaud the measures taken by the Albanese government and the Minister for Aged Care to try and remediate this problem, but more must be done to help those most affected by the sector's failings, and that's our aged-care workers. The reasons for the problems in aged care are complex and, to be honest, no single government is to blame. There has been an evolution in aged care over the last decades so that the people who are now placed in residential aged care are sicker and older and have more complex disorders than previously.

We live in a society that is fairly rapidly aging. None of us really want to end up in residential aged care, but, unfortunately, it's true that about 25 to 30 per cent of us will end up in residential aged care. These days, we are better at keeping people at home, but we still have a cohort of frail aged who will require residential care. The time spent in residential aged care, in fact, is now much shorter than it was 10, 15 or 20 years ago. As I've said, residents tend to have much more complex disorders. A large percentage have mobility disorders; many have feeding and eating disorders; many have neurological disorders; and many have various other combinations of complaints such as hearing loss, blindness, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and orthopaedic problems, which means their care is much more time consuming and much more complex.

I've visited every aged-care facility in my electorate, and I am confident that the care that people get in the aged-care centres in my electorate is the best that can be provided. I have confidence in my aged-care workforce. However, that is a workforce that is predominantly female, and it is ageing. And now there is an extremely high turnover—up to 80 per cent per annum—in our aged-care workforce because the pay and conditions are so poor. There are really complex reasons for that, but the pay of aged-care workers is now, even with some recent pay rises, amongst the lowest in our community. People stay working in aged care for much shorter periods of time, and they move on to higher paying jobs.

I had the honour recently to meet with HSU members from my electorate of Macarthur and the surrounding areas to discuss their concerns. I'm very proud of the work they do. They were wonderful women. They work extremely hard under very stressful conditions, all while caring for vulnerable and sick people with a whole variety of complex disorders. I marvel at their work, and I believe that the aged-care system is dependent upon their sacrifices. Praise can only provide so much, however, and without strong and meaningful policies to improve pay and conditions I fear we'll see a mass shortage of aged-care workers evolving in the next 12 to 18 months. In fact, 75 per cent of workers have indicated they are considering leaving the workforce altogether to do other things if they do not receive a significant pay increase. That pay increase should include all aged-care workers—not just the care providers but also the kitchen workers, the cleaners and the social support workers.

All those working in aged care need and deserve a pay increase, and I can't blame them for wanting that as soon as possible. We have a problem with rapidly increasing cost-of-living pressures. I fully support the Health Services Union in pushing for greater worker benefits and sector supports, and I am proud to support them in their campaign. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety noted that a wages gap exists between aged-care workers and workers performing equivalent functions in the acute health system, and that's certainly true. I fully support our aged-care workers in their push for better wages and conditions, and I will do anything to make that possible for them.