There are currently 34 Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements (ACILA) in place and 155 visas approved under the program, eight months after it was established in May 2023.

As of 5 January 2024, the Department of Home Affairs was finalising a further nine Labour Agreement requests, so further approvals could be imminent, but with the aged care sector short an estimated 17,000 workers, there's still some way to go.

In November 2023, only 11 Labour Agreements had been approved, as reported by The SOURCE, which indicates the rate of approvals is increasing. They are now in place in every state except Tasmania.

As of 5 January 2024, the Department of Home Affairs had granted 100 Temporary Skill Shortage visas (subclass 482) and 55 Employer Nomination Scheme visas (subclass 186) under the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement program. 

In total, 279 visa applications have been lodged, suggesting again that further visa approvals could be on the way, but it's still a far cry from the potential 14,000 care workers that could be employed under the Agreements over five years.

Lutheran Services and Scalabrini sign Labour Agreements

Last week, Queensland Not For Profit aged care provider Lutheran Services announced it has signed an Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, with the potential to employ up to 270 care staff in 2024.

“Never has there been a greater need for aged care workers. We need to adopt new approaches to recruitment like the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement in order to keep pace with the changing needs of an aging population and the increasingly complex compliance landscape,” CEO Nick Ryan said.

NSW aged care provider Scalabrini has also signed a Labour Agreement, with applications submitted for 30 staff and another 150 enquiries in the pipeline.

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs told The SOURCE, "The Australian Government is committed to improving the attraction, retention and the sustainability of the care workforce."

Labour Agreements, which require aged care providers to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with unions, are processed by the Department of Home Affairs and visas processed as a matter of priority.