Shortly after they were announced, The Weekly SOURCE labelled the Government's Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements (ACILAs) a 'band-aid fix' for the sector's workforce woes. Now the latest data on the program appears to have confirmed this thinking.
88 Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements (ACILAs) have taken effect since the program was launched in May 2023.
Only 101 visas have been granted to offshore applicants according to the Department of Home Affairs, and 594 visas have been granted to applicants already in Australia.
With Australia expected to need more than 17,000 FTE nurses by 2035, according to the Government's own estimations, the ACILAs were brought in last year to address workforce shortages.
The Weekly SOURCE reported in January only 34 ACILAs had been approved, so there has been an increase.
"The number of visas lodged and granted under the ACILA also continues to increase," a spokesperson of the Department of Home Affairs told The Weekly SOURCE.
The 88 ACILAs have the potential to provide visas for more than 24,000 direct care workers over the next five years.
Of the visas granted under ACILAs, 585 were primary Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visas and 110 were primary Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visas.
- 178 primary visas were granted to applicants nominated in the Aged or Disabled Carer occupation category,
- 54 primary visas were granted to applicants nominated in the Nursing Support Worker occupation category; and
- 463 primary visas were granted to applicants nominated in the Personal Care Assistant occupation category.
As we have reported in SATURDAY, those operators with ACILAs have found the agreements to be a valuable tool but many providers put the initiative in the 'too hard' basket because of the requirements to secure an agreement.
To apply for an ACILA, aged care providers must enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a union – either the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), the Health Services Union (HSU) or the United Workers Union (UWU). Applications receive streamlined processing, and visa applications lodged under the ACILUs are processed as a matter of priority. ACILAs offer staff an expedited two-year pathway to permanent residency.