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

I thank the member for Canberra for her question, after being such a strong advocate for women in this place and in Canberra.

If you've visited an aged care home or an early learning centre, like all of us on this side of the House have, you know that being a carer is one of Australia's hardest jobs. Our carers have dedicated their working lives to supporting our loved ones, from our youngest citizens to our eldest citizens. Caring is physical work, it's emotionally draining work, and it is also highly skilled work. But for far too long these workers—aged-care workers and early educators—have been underpaid and undervalued. That's not because these jobs are not skilled or because these jobs are not important. It is because these jobs are predominantly done by women.

Yesterday's Fair Work Commission decision was a cost-of-living win for workers, but perhaps more importantly, it was a win for Australian women. It was a signal that how this country views their work is changing. The Albanese government understands gender equality and economic reform go hand in hand. There is no greater example of putting this policy into practice than our historic aged-care pay rise. Labor promised and delivered a 15 per cent increase to award wage minimums for 250,000 aged-care workers—an $11.3 billion investment in the people who dedicate their working lives to caring for older Australians. This pay rise isn't just providing aged care workers with economic security, it is changing the system.

I recently heard of an aged-care worker named Donelle, who lives and works in Biloela in the member for Flynn's electorate. Donelle started her aged-care career 20 years ago as an enrolled nurse. She then left and went to work in a hospital and became a registered nurse. While working in hospitals, Donelle felt frustrated and she considered leaving nursing because she felt a huge amount of pressure about how little time she had to spend with her patients. Donelle made a change. She moved north with her husband and two sons. I'm pleased to report that Donelle has now returned to aged care after 20 years and she is thriving. She says that aged care has dramatically changed in the 20 years since she left it. She says now it feels like a family, not like a facility and now it feels people centred rather than institution centred. That is what happens when you invest in the care economy, that is what happens when you invest in Australian women like Donelle. That is what happens when you prioritise a fairer future for all Australians.