24 March 2022
Fix Aged Care. The ANMF campaign to reform aged care in a fundamental way that addresses:
- The need for RN 24/7 cover in all aged care sites;
- Safe staffing ratios and the right skills mix;
- The need for greater transparency for funding tied to care in the sector; and
- the need for better pay and working conditions so that we can attract and retain the workforce that is needed
is continuing and growing a head of steam in the lead-up to the federal election expected in mid-May.
Federal Labor, the Greens and some key independents are all supporting the central elements of our campaign. The Liberals and the Nationals so far won’t have a bar of it.
Labor powerhouses Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong, and Mark Butler have all pledged support for the ANMF’s campaign to overhaul a system that has badly failed both residents and staff in what the Royal Commission declared “a shocking tale of neglect’’.
“Despite the litany of horror stories, the hundreds of deaths in a sector swamped by COVID, the chronic staffing shortages that have left existing staff simply unable to meet the needs of the elderly, Scott Morrison, Barnaby Joyce and their Coalition colleagues are yet to put their names to meaningful change,’’ ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM said.
“It begs the question WHY? Surely elderly Australians deserve so much better than a system that remains a serious threat to their physical and mental wellbeing, one that leaves them stripped of dignity?’’
Boothby, Mayo and now maybe Sturt, are shaping up as key seats in the federal election – seats which could well decide the next government and, as a consequence, the future of aged care in this country.
This week ALP candidate for Sturt Sonja Baram added her pledge of support to the ANMF campaign.
In Boothby, three of the four candidates have signed the ANMF Fix Aged Care pledge to commit to our four crucial asks.
In Mayo, Centre Alliance Federal Member Rebekha Sharkie and Labor candidate Marisa Bell were also keen to show their support for the cause.
When the ANMF (SA Branch) first reached out to candidates in Boothby, the Australian Labor Party candidate Louise Miller-Frost accepted the invitation to meet as soon it was offered to her, immediately indicated her support for our campaign goals and signed the ANMF’s Fix Aged Care pledge.
The Greens’ Jeremy Carter and Independent Jo Dyer have also signed the pledge. However, the Liberal candidate for Boothby, Dr Rachel Swift, like everyone else in her party, declined to commit.
As CEO of Vinnies and Catherine House, Chair of UnitingCare Wesley Bowden, and with over 15 years running health services across SA, Ms Miller-Frost has worked closely in supporting older Australians and people with a disability.
“The Aged Care Royal Commission exposed tragic stories of neglect. The Government’s failure to properly implement over half the recommendations is a national disgrace,’’ Ms Miller-Frost said.
“Older Australians who have worked hard all their lives deserve to be treated with dignity, and those caring for them need the resources and training to do the job they love.”
Literary curator, film and theatre producer, Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week and independent candidate for Boothby Jo Dyer’s policies include greater investment in health and increased pay and improved conditions for frontline health workers.
Of aged care she says: “Our Aged Care system was in crisis before COVID. Now it borders on collapse. I support an immediate implementation of the key recommendations from the Royal Commission in the timeframe it outlines”. This includes increasing the pay of workers (in the case before the Fair Work Commission to increase the pay of aged care workers by 25%) and through mandating minimum staffing requirements within facilities.
Ms Sharkie, the daughter of a former aged care enrolled nurse, said aged care is a priority for her given that the population in her electorate is probably the oldest in the state, if not the nation.
Indeed Ms Sharkie, who grew up surrounded by people engaged with aged care, told Parliament this year, just prior to the Royal Commission into Aged Care’s final report: “I want to see change so that aged care workers are valued, encouraged and supported with decent pay, training and development.
“I put on notice to the Government that the community will not accept the Royal Commission's report sitting on a shelf and gathering dust, as so many Royal Commission reports have in the past. We need to ensure that the recommendations are acted upon urgently, because older Australians deserve so much better than what they have received with respect to aged care.’’
Intensive care nurse, nurse educator and former ANMF (SA Branch) President, Marisa Bell says she’s “proud” to sign the ANMF’s campaign pledge to fix aged care.
“I have campaigned as a nurse advocate for improved aged care services for nurses, carers and aged care residents for more than 20 years. I know that the Labor Party deeply cares about older Australians and has committed to fixing a system that is failing them and their families,’’ Ms Bell said.
“I am very proud of the ANMF's achievements in improving the working lives of nurses, midwives and care workers, and contributing so much to the better health, wellbeing and safety of the community at large.’’
See the list of politicians who have committed to fixing aged care