First child care workers, now aged care workers

[bluecat*dancing]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-12/no-pay-rise-for-aged-care-workers-after-coalition-scraps-labor...

Thousands of aged care workers will miss out on an expected pay rise after the Federal Government dumped a $1.2 billion fund set up by Labor.

The Workforce Compact would have given workers a 1 per cent pay rise on top of award increases.

The Government halted the scheme in September and this morning used its numbers in Parliament to dump the fund altogether.

The move comes just days after the Coalition scrapped a $300 million fund to give pay rises to childcare workers, describing the Labor scheme as a "union slush fund".

Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker says the aged care scheme was "unionism by stealth".

"Less than 1 per cent of aged care providers had applied for the supplement as at 26 September 2013, as the majority of aged care providers were not willing to apply for the supplement," he said.

"It was never going to reach the majority of aged care workers."

While the Government was expected to scrap the scheme, today's parliamentary tactics took many by surprise.

The Government interrupted the parliamentary schedule to move the motion to disallow the Workforce Compact, giving the Opposition little notice before the motion was debated.

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke was furious, saying standing orders should only be suspended if the matter is genuinely urgent.

"It's an urgency the Government has discovered within the last 24 hours, it's an urgency that the Government has discovered without consultation with the aged care sector, without consultation with the people to be impacted by this," he said.

"As I understand it, we're talking about a sector that has something like a 40 per cent turnover in its staffing."

The Opposition's spokesman on ageing, Shane Neumann, says it is a shameful act.

"There are 350,000 workers in the aged care sector who will discover that they will not get the pay rises, the better working conditions they deserve and need," he said.

"This is a very retrograde, tragic and shameful act by the Abbott Coalition Government, which was supposed to be a government of no surprises.

"Well, it's going to be a surprise to a lot of aged care workers and stakeholders."

Mr Neumann says the pay rise would have helped the rapidly growing aged care sector attract and retain workers.

The Government says it will work with the sector in coming months to work out how to use the money in a more targeted way.

[***super_nova***]

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@windrake wrote:

The disability pension has been corrupted by long the term unemployed being moved over to the DP to make the unemployment rate look better than it really is.

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Actually, that has happened under the Frazer government.  However, has been since mostly reversed and to get disability pension is extremely hard.  To get from the dole to pension (which is considerably more) is so difficult that when a young divorced woman I  knew, mother of 2 small children, was dying of cancer she was left on a benefit (dole?) that meant she had to queue up in Centerlink every fortnight right up to few weeks before her death!  Before she got ill she worked full time. 

Many long term unemployed cannot get a job becuase of medical and  mental issues, and some may end up getting DP.   getting bit more money is hardly "being used", it just means they can survive and hopefully deal with their problems, and some may even return to workfoce in the future.

[bluecat*dancing]

I would love to not be eligible for the DSP.

[izabsmiling]

The most vulnerable in this Country and those fleeing war and persecution were used to win the last election....and now have been tossed aside like they are nothing .

I see what people kudo and I often think ...Why do you have a problem with people giving a toss for people in you and/or your family's situation ? Wouldn't you have a problem if people didn't care ? How loudly would you be shouting out if no one cared ?

As a former aged care worker (RNDiv2) the concept of more privitisation (sp?) and less paperwork and governing is a concern.I've worked in placed where money rather than human life is the main priority.If that becomes more the case with our aged and the care of our children...we really should be concerned.

It breaks the heart of a good care worker not to be able to give the care or a party to a place which doesn't give the quality care people deserve .Less restrictions to meet standards ...the higher the risk of mistreatment.I left to care for people at home..in all honesty as a registered nurse in some places I didn't  always feel that I was able to meet the standards of nursing I was obligated to (and wanted to) in order to meet my own responsibilty according to the nurses code of conduct .

and for the money on top of those conditions ...I think working at Aldi (less the stress when you leave work) would have been preferable.

If we want people working there needs to be care.If we want our elderly,our disabled and our children to be as safe and as well as they can be...we owe it to them to do all we can to see that it is done.imo

Our Country has gone mad imo...when it's a disgrace to care for those in need

and it's seen as an honourable thing by our Government to use people like political tools to achieve their own 'Daddy always wanted to be PM" pleasure.

[izabsmiling]

I can't  comprehend how some see it as right  and would defend these thing.Something seems so very wrong ..

edit..my previous post should read gain rather than pleasure though both seem fitting unfortunately 

[izabsmiling]

I'm sorry.That sounds so wrong .No disrespect to the children of that Daddy intended. 

to achieve their own childhood dream    ...is more fitting for what I was trying to express.