Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (11:56): I am very pleased to second this important private members' motion, put forward by the wonderful member for Jagajaga, because aged care is a massively important issue in my electorate of Gilmore. Just as we said before the 2022 election we would be, here we are 12 months later, having directly addressed 37 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety since coming to office. That is huge.
For years, aged-care workers knew what the problems were and pleaded for the former government to fix the issues, but the government weren't listening, and they certainly weren't acting. I had local aged-care workers from across Gilmour tell me clearly that aged-care workers were leaving aged care because the pay of aged-care workers just didn't stack up. There just weren't enough aged-care workers in nursing homes and there just wasn't the necessary time to care for residents—people's loved ones. It wasn't because aged-care workers didn't care; it was because they did care. Today I say: we have listened, acted and delivered.
The aged care royal commission interim report, titled Neglect, came up with 148 recommendations, but it should come as no surprise that the former government did the absolute minimum. Combining the measures from the legislation we've passed and the two budgets that we have delivered, we have addressed in full or in part a total of 69 recommendations, and we have no plan to stop our work of reforming and transforming aged care.
Our second budget delivers a record 15 per cent pay increase for aged-care workers across Australia. This represents the biggest ever pay rise to aged-care workers. This budget allocates $11.3 billion over four years to fund the Fair Work Commission's interim decision for a 15 per cent increase to minimum wages for many aged-care workers. This will support around 92,100 award aged-care workers in New South Wales, who will earn between $129 and $341 more per week for a 38-hour week. For too long those working in aged care have been asked to work harder for longer without enough reward, but with this budget that changes.
As a result of the historic investment we are making in the budget, a registered nurse on a level 2.3 award wage will be paid an additional $196 a week. An enrolled nurse on a level 2 award wage will be paid an additional $145 a week. An assistant in nursing on a level 3 award wage will be paid an additional $136 a week. A personal care worker on a level 4 aged-care award or home-care worker on a level 3.1 SCHCADS award will be paid an additional $141 a week. A recreational activity officer on a level 3 aged-care award will be paid an additional $139 a week. A head chef cook on a level 4 aged-care award will be paid an additional $141 a week. But there's more. With the implementation of our aged-care legislation, we recognise the enormous amount of work of the government to support the aged-care sector to improve facilities and lift the quality of care for residents, including through increasing average care minutes and greater transparency.
I had the honour of having the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care visit my electorate this past week, and we visited Uniting Osborne House Nowra. We talk with aged-care residents over a cuppa and a scone. We talked with aged-care workers. We took a tour of the facility while talking further with aged-care workers. It was easy to see and hear the buoyed confidence in this aged-care home. The increase in pay, of course, is a game-changer, but the implementation of these recommendations will make a profound difference on aged-care workers lives, aged-care homes and our most treasured aged-care residents. We were also told how our fee-free TAFE is making a noticeable difference locally in people taking on aged-care courses and helping grow aged-care workers.
We said we'd put the care back into aged care, and we have. We're supporting aged-care workers. To all those thinking about a career or retraining: aged care has a bright future. Go for it.
