Aged care nurses and carers have taken their concerns directly to Canberra, calling for mandatory staffing ratios and stronger protections for workers and older Australians amid continuing workforce shortages and concerns over compliance with existing care requirements.
Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) joined representatives from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) at Parliament House to launch a national campaign focused on improving staffing, workplace safety and accountability across Australia’s aged care sector.
The campaign, titled “Australia needs care you can count on”, comes as unions argue that recent reforms have delivered important improvements but have not fully addressed the pressures faced by frontline nurses, carers and aged care residents.
NSWNMA general secretary Michael Whaites said measures introduced in recent years had helped lift standards in parts of the sector, but significant problems remained. He said workers were still facing staffing shortages and unsafe workloads while some existing requirements were not being properly followed.
The unions are seeking a move away from the current reliance on care-minute requirements towards mandatory staffing ratios that would reflect the number of residents and the level of care they require. They are also calling for an appropriate mix of qualified staff to ensure residents receive consistent and safe care.
Workplace safety is another major part of the campaign. The unions want stronger measures to protect nurses and carers from workplace violence, along with improved systems for reporting incidents and addressing risks faced by frontline workers.
NSWNMA assistant general secretary Katrina Bough said reforms requiring a registered nurse to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as minimum care-minute requirements, had been important steps forward. However, she argued that weaknesses in compliance could reduce the effectiveness of those measures.
The union also raised concerns about the way some aged care providers report staffing and care delivery. Bough alleged that some providers were using inaccurate reporting, unclear job classifications or workforce reductions to meet obligations while controlling costs.
Frontline nurses and carers, she said, continued to report heavy workloads and staffing shortages, leaving workers struggling to provide the level of care they believe residents deserve. The unions argue that staffing levels must be determined by residents’ needs rather than simply by the number of care minutes recorded.
The campaign also places a strong focus on transparency around public funding. With billions of dollars in taxpayer money supporting the aged care system, the unions want providers to publish more consistent information about their financial performance and how government funding is being used.
Under the proposed changes, staffing ratios would be based on evidence and would include an appropriate skill mix, while public reporting requirements would be standardised across the sector. The unions believe these measures would make it easier to identify whether providers are meeting their responsibilities.
Bough said aged care nurses and carers remained committed to delivering quality care but were frequently being pushed beyond what they considered safe limits. The unions say improving staffing levels and workplace conditions is essential not only for employees but also for the quality of life and safety of older Australians.
By taking the campaign to Parliament House, the nursing unions are seeking greater political attention to the ongoing challenges facing aged care. They argue that further action is needed to ensure reforms translate into consistent care on the ground.
The national campaign is ultimately calling for an aged care system where residents and their families can have greater confidence in the care provided, while nurses and carers have enough time, support and appropriately skilled colleagues to do their jobs safely.
