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Disability and aged care workers score major pay victory

Picture of Ritchelle Drilon

Ritchelle Drilon

Disability and aged care workers score major pay victory

Picture of Ritchelle Drilon

Ritchelle Drilon

Health, aged care and disability workers will see a modest boost to their weekly pay following the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase minimum award wages by 3.5% from 1 July 2025.

The Health Services Union (HSU) has welcomed the move, describing it as a crucial step in easing cost-of-living pressures for some of Australia’s most award-reliant and lowest-paid workers.

The increase will deliver approximately $44 more per week for full-time disability support workers, $43 for aged care workers and $36 for pathology collectors. Additional wage rises are expected for pathology workers following the Fair Work Commission’s recent finding that many health and care sector roles have been historically undervalued due to gender-based bias.

“HSU members in sectors like health, aged care and disability are among the most award-reliant workers in the country. This decision is a vital cost-of-living boost for some of Australia’s lowest-paid workers,” said HSU National Secretary Lloyd Williams.

While the Australian union movement had pushed for a 4.5% increase, the 3.5% rise is still seen as a step towards reversing years of stagnant wages in feminised industries.

“This decision is an important and measured step towards correcting the real wages decline suffered by award-reliant workers across our sectors in recent years,” Williams added.

He credited the federal government for supporting a wage rise that is “economically sustainable,” not merely inflationary.

The broader push for wage reform continues. In April, the Fair Work Commission found that many roles in the care and support sectors have been systematically undervalued, recommending wage adjustments of up to 35.23% to correct the imbalance.

“Those wage increases must be passed on in full without any delay,” Williams said.

“Higher wages for some of the lowest-paid workers are a major win but there’s still a lot of work to do. Essential workers deserve better wages and secure conditions above the minimum.”

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Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.

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