Australia needs to find up to 50,000 aged care workers every year to meet demand, says the CEO of the Not For Profit WA aged care provider.
"We need a sector-wide, medium-term workforce strategy that addresses supply and demand issues and considers both government and provider roles and strategies," Russell told The SOURCE for our series in which we ask aged care leaders what they would like to see our next elected Government prioritise.
A workforce strategy must address immigration, recognition of qualifications, housing, and innovation in recruitment, Russell said.
"The Australian Government’s 15% wage wise for care workers has been a great step, but we will need to continue to build workforce through remuneration, improved conditions, retention, career pathways and polishing the reputation of the industry so we see more and more quality people entering the industry," he said.
Demand-driven home care
Second on Russell's 'wishlist' was a desire to see the Government release enough Home Care Packages to clear the waiting list, and then commit to releasing a sufficient number of Packages annually to meet demand.
The home care waiting list stood at more than 81,000 as of 31 January 2025, but the Government is set to release only 31,715 Packages this financial year.
"This is not enough to meet the needs of the current waitlist, let alone the future demand," said Russell.
The Government has announced plans to release 83,000 Packages in 2025-26, but only another 24,000 in 2026-27.
Third political 'wish'
Russell wants to see the concessional aged care resident supplement increased and indexed every six months, helping to align funding with inflation and rising operational costs
"With current residential facilities across Australia running at a loss, barely breaking even and certainly not near the 10% return required to justify a new investment, providers simply can’t justify building new facilities," Russell said.
"By aligning the supplement with the actual cost of the bed, the financial pressures on providers, especially those in regional and remote areas, can be alleviated, allowing providers to maintain or improve the number of beds, quality of care and facilities," Russell said.
"Increasing the supplement also creates incentives for providers to meet the needs of people without means, ensuring every Australian no matter their financial means can get the care they deserve."
The recently re-elected WA Government has promised $100M in low-interest loans to help aged care providers build or refurbish aged care facilities for concessional customers or in areas of need.
Read our previous articles in this series:
“Whining for more money won’t cut it”: IRT CEO Patrick Reid’s political wishlist
Anne McCormack CEO of mecwacare wants to see greater recognition of palliative care in aged care
Browse Juniper's residential care and home care on the #1 listings website agedcare101.com.au
