Aged care workers have secured a “historic” pay rise – some getting up to a 28.5 per cent increase – in what has been called a “life-changing” improvement for one of Australia’s most undervalued work forces. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) delivered ...
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“No easy options”: Whiddon chief responds to taskforce report
Last week, the long-awaited Aged Care Taskforce report was released, with recommendations including a wealth-based funding approach to ensure financial longevity in the sector. A total of $23.6bn was spent on aged care in 2020-21, which increased to $24.8bn in ...
More »Why does aged care’s love affair with institutionalising people persist? – Opinion
Mental health, disability, homelessness, First Nation people, kids at risk, infectious diseases; all thse sectors have turned their backs on institutional care. The harm was too high, the safety too low. So why has aged care remained steadfast in its ...
More »Aged Care Taskforce recommends wealth-based funding
The aged care taskforce has rejected the idea of a levy to cover the sector's costs and has recommended older Australians accessing care should pay more based on their personal wealth. The federal government established a taskforce last year to ...
More »Resident dies in fire at retirement community
An 83-year-old man is believed to have died in a fire at a retirement community in Burpengary, north of Brisbane, on Monday night. Police said two residents from the same village tried to rescue him. "They've bravely smashed windows and ...
More »New study to make aged care better for LGBTQ+
A new study will investigate how Australia's aged care sector can enhance service delivery to cover a wider demographic of gender and sexual diversity. Led by Southern Cross University professor Mark Hughes, the research project is set to break "new ...
More »Family of Clare Nowland settles lawsuit against state
The family of a 95-year-old woman, who died after she fell when a police officer allegedly tasered her in an aged care facility, has settled its lawsuit against the state government “on confidential terms”. She died in hospital on May ...
More »Labor to begin paying super on paid parental leave in major win for gender equality
Australian women are set to be thousands of dollars better off by the time they retire, with the government promising superannuation on paid parental leave in a landmark win for gender equality. After long citing budget restraints, the government will ...
More »New study finds opioid use in Australian aged care 30 times higher than in Japanese residents
A new study has found that only 11 per cent of Japanese aged-care residents are prescribed regular painkiller medications, compared to Australia's 74 per cent. Furthermore, the use of opioid painkiller medications was found to be 30 times higher in ...
More »Health insurance premiums to rise by three per cent
Almost 15 million Australians covered by private health insurance will be paying more for their premiums, which are set to rise by more than three per cent on average – the largest increase in five years. On Tuesday, the Albanese ...
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