Royal Freemasons’ Benevolent Institution (RFBI) CEO Frank Price says recruiting staff from overseas is not sustainable, even as the Not For Profit brings another 106 nurses into Australia from Fiji, making a total of 166 staff recruited from overseas.

RFBI will pay for the new staff to upgrade their Fijian nursing qualifications to enable them to register as RNs with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), a process that can take as long as 18 months.

“There are challenges and costs associated with bringing nurses to Australia, including supporting their integration into the workforce and community,” Frank said. "International recruitment is not a sustainable solution," he said.

The Federal Government is not doing enough to train and attract local nurses to work in aged care, he said. 

At Budget Estimates last week, it was revealed that the aged care sector is short 1,490 RNs in 2024-25. With 24/7RN requirements in place and RN care minutes increasing on 1 October 2024, the RN shortage is likely to remain into the foreseeable future.

“RFBI recognises that the recent award increases will have some positive impact, but that does not address the ageing RN workforce and the insufficient number of trained replacements," Frank said.

Frank also acknowledged the "ethical and moral" issues around depleting workforces in poorer countries, and RFBI has a proposal to develop the Fijian Government's aged care workforce, involving RFBI training staff and establishing a governance and quality system in line with Australian standards.  

RFBI operates 22 residential aged care homes, 22 retirement villages, and home care services.