Webinar details funding for nurse wage rise
Providers told they must ensure employees have been transitioned to the correct new award classifications from 1 March, with a guide coming soon.
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledged the short timeline providers have to implement the new nurse award wage increases and apologised for the slow release of information at a webinar on Tuesday.
Hosted by Stephanie Kaiser, assistant secretary Aged Care Workforce Branch, Christopher Crisafi, director at the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman, Mark Richardson, assistant secretary Residential Care and Hotelling Reform Branch, Rachel Blackwood, assistant secretary Home Support Operations Branch and Karen Hall, director Aged Care Workforce Branch, the webinar covered the following:
- classification changes
- residential aged care funding
- in-home aged care funding
- subsidy increases
- historical leave liabilities
- accountability for passing on funding
As part of the information provided on the classification changes in the award, Mr Crisafi emphasised that from 1 March, providers will be required to ensure employees have been transitioned to the correct new award classifications, with a translation guide to be available soon.
More information on the classification changes, including new streams for home care employees in the SCHADS award, can be found here.
There is also a Pay and Conditions Tool available through the Fair Work Ombudsman, where employees and employers can find extra information on the relevant pay rates.
The government is waiting for advice from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority, expected to arrive on 21 February, before it can announce the AN-ACC price.
The AN-ACC price and 24/7 Registered Nurse Supplement will also increase, and the supplement will be automatically applied to March claims, but the government is waiting for advice from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority, expected to arrive on 21 February, before it can announce the AN-ACC price.
More information on the AN-ACC funding changes, hoteling supplement and 24/7 registered nurse supplement change can be found here.
There was also discussion on the subsidy increases for Home Care Packages and Support at Home, with assertion that any pricing changes must be discussed with care recipients and consent must be given, and that pricing adjustments must be only made for care and services being delivered by registered and enrolled nurses receiving the wage increase.
If consent to a price change has been received, the changes must be reflected in My Aged Care.
Providers who currently have a CHSP contract to deliver nursing services to 30 June will have their nursing activity indexed, and providers that have 2025-27 CHSP contracts in place will receive a Notice of Change in October 2025 and August 2026 relating to the nurse wage increases.
Notice of Change will also be provided to nursing providers increasing the nursing funding payments from 1 March.
As announced in early February, grants to assist in the historic leave liability increases are open. Only one application per approved provider will be required for all eligible aged care programs, with providers eligible to apply for 25 per cent for residential aged care and 50 per cent for all other eligible providers.
The guidance document on aged care wages sets the expectation that funding is passed onto aged care nurses from 1 March 2025 and has further information on future wage increases.
It was also emphasised that aged care providers of residential aged care and home care are legally required to pay workers at least the minimum award under the relevant awards, and are required to attest in the Quarterly Financial Report that funding was passed on.
Other notes the department made were that funding does not cover payroll tax, employees will need independent identifiers and human resources departments must retain information on employee wages and subsidies used as the government will complete an audit on a sample of providers.
The department has also published answers to questions about the increases to nurse wages.
Comment on the story below. Follow Australian Ageing Agenda on LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook, sign up to our twice-weekly newsletter and subscribe to our premium content or AAA magazine for the complete aged care picture.
