Albanese government ‘determined to help’ aged care workers

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells says the Albanese government is “determined to help” aged care workers and the sector. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established in October, 2018, with the goal of assessing whether the services were meeting the needs of the community and how they could be improved. The Fair Work Commission ordered a 15 per cent pay increase in minimum wages for aged care workers which was introduced in June, 2023, and the government invested more than $2 billion to the sector in December. “The Albanese government made a commitment to back workers – in the Fair Work Commission to get a meaningful pay rise,” she said during Question Time on Monday. “That is what we did, and that commitment has meant personal care workers – are now taking home an additional $141 per week, or more than $7,300 every year.”