Today marks a huge milestone in our campaign to fix our broken aged care system.
  
The Federal Government’s ‘Implementing Care Bill’ has passed through the parliament, and will now go on to become law.
  
The bill legislates for:

• Mandated 215 minimum care minutes
• Registered Nurses 24/7 
• Financial transparency and accountability on public funding.

This is the beginning of real reform. Change isn’t going to happen overnight, but change does start with the right laws in place and having a Federal Government that is committed to fixing the problem. And that’s exactly what we’ve been campaigning over many years for.
  
This kind of reform doesn’t happen without significant public support. Thank you to the countless QNMU Activists and aged care nurses and carers who have spoken out on the situation in aged care. Your voices have been heard, and it’s thanks to you that aged care has become the national issue it is today.
  
We will have more to say soon on how and when these reforms will be implemented, so stay tuned.

Federal budget prioritises aged care reforms, wellbeing

  
The recent federal budget also delivered some good news for health and aged care workers, including:

• funding for a new National Nurse and Midwife Health Service to provide much-needed health and wellbeing support for frontline nurses and midwives across the country.
• $3.9 billion towards aged care reforms.
• increased access to childcare subsidies and the extension of paid parental leave to 26 weeks.
• significant investment towards addressing women’s safety, particularly women and children experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence. We also welcome the Federal Government passing legislation to enshrine 10 days paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave as a workplace right for every worker in Australia.

And in another promising step forward, the Federal Government has also introduced its ‘Secure Jobs, Better Pay’ Bill into parliament. 
  
The current enterprise bargaining system is broken and is leaving workers behind and without adequate pay rises, particularly those in female-dominated industries like aged care. 
  
The QNMU urges federal politicians to support it. We know that providing our members with a secure, quality job will lead to safer, quality care outcomes.
  
Read the ANMF’s full media release.