An additional $2.6 billion to fund yet another pay rise for 60,000 aged care nurses has been announced. This boost brings the total investment in wage increases for aged care workers to $17.7 billion, with the aim of elevating the quality of care and addressing workforce shortages.
“Aged care nurses are experts in their field and they deserve to be rewarded for the crucial role they play in delivering safe and quality care to older people in Australia,” says Minister for Aged Care and Sport Anika Wells.
Following a decision by the Fair Work Commission, registered and enrolled nurses who care for older Australians will receive an average 12% increase in their award wage. These increases will be rolled out in three main stages on 1 March 2025, 1 October 2025, and 1 August 2026.
“Under a decade of Coalition governments, aged care workers, who are predominantly women, were systemically underpaid and undervalued. That ended with the Albanese Labor Government,” Minister Wells adds.
The government highlights that since 2022, nurses have already seen significant improvements. A registered nurse at level 2, pay point 3 would now be $430 per week better off, while an enrolled nurse at pay point 2 would be $370 per week better off. This translates to annual increases of more than $22,000 and $19,000, respectively.
“Under the Albanese Labor Government, registered nurses working in aged care on the award wage are $430 a week better off, and enrolled nurses are $370 a week better off,” Minister Wells said.
“Our government has delivered better award wages to recognise the value of all aged care workers to lift the standard of aged care in Australia.”
Beyond improving the lives of nurses themselves, the government says these measures will help strengthen recruitment and retention efforts within the sector, ultimately benefiting older Australians who rely on aged care services.
“Increasing the award wages for aged care nurses is part of the government’s mandate to rebuild our aged care workforce and close the gender pay gap,” says Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Murray Watt.
“We are focused on making sure aged care nurses are paid fairly and are valued for their important work.”
As wages rise, the government notes that Australians have seen real increases above inflation for five consecutive quarters, emphasizing its commitment to fair pay across the board.
“This is another example of the Albanese Government’s actions to get wages moving again, which have seen Australians’ wages rising above inflation for five quarters in a row,” Minister Watt states.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
