Richard Marles doubles down on pledge to seniors
Deputy leader Richard Marles has doubled down on Labor’s commitment to have registered nurses in aged-care facilities 24 hours a day by mid-2023.
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has doubled down on his party’s commitment to have registered nurses in aged-care facilities 24 hours a day by mid-2023, after legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus flagged the rollout might need to be “paused” because of workforce shortages.
The reassurance came as Australian College of Nursing chief executive Kylie Ward said both major parties needed to prioritise the workforce crisis in nursing during the election campaign.
“All political parties must place long-term and tangible solutions to address the crisis facing the nursing workforce,” Adjunct Professor Ward said.
“Registered nurses are central to leading reform in our health and aged-care systems and improving the health of all Australians, particularly our most vulnerable.
“However, there needs to be investments on multiple fronts to ensure our workforce is sustainable and optimally utilised for generations to come.”
Labor’s aged-care package was the centre of Anthony Albanese’s budget reply and is set to be a major issue of focus in the campaign, with both leaders making note of the aged-care sector in their election pitches on Sunday.
The opposition’s aged-care package was costed at $2.5bn and promised better food for residents, greater accountability enforced on providers and a bringing forward of laws requiring a registered nurse to be rostered on around the clock to July 2023.
Labor also committed to a wage increase for those working in aged care, which could be as much as $4bn a year.
Mr Dreyfus last week raised the possibility of workforce shortages disrupting Labor’s plans to have a registered nurse in every aged-care home around the clock by next year, signalling the deadline might need to be “paused”.
But Mr Marles hosed down the concerns on Sunday morning, telling the ABC’s Insiders program: “We’ll be delivering registered nurses in every aged-care facility in the middle of next year. We’ve been really clear about the fact that that is what will happen.
“Anthony’s made it clear, Mark Butler and Clare O’Neil have made it clear, I’m making it clear now: we will do this in the middle of next year. We’re doing it a year ahead of the recommendation, or the timing in the recommendation of the royal commission.”
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