Canberra, look out

THE ROYAL Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety handed its final report to the federal government on February 26 - and now politicians must deliver a real change in aged care.

That week HACSU took aged care members Chrissie O'Brien Karen Fahey and Rachel Brown to Canberra to join other workers to sit down at a round table with senate cross benchers and independents to lobby them to pressure the government to accept the commission’s recommendations. The cross benchers are key to ensuring a positive outcome and the passage of any enabling legislation. They made themselves available as a group, which is highly unusual, to give aged care workers from health unions across the country a chance to make clear the importance of reform for the sector.

We discussed 5 asks with the politicians: • Aged care workers deserve an immediate and significant pay rise • Aged care workers deserve the right number of staff, with the right skills to deliver holistic care for older Australians

• Aged care workers deserve secure employment and not have to work multiple jobs • Aged care workers deserve paid pandemic leave, along with proper infection control training and PPE • Aged care workers deserve funded and ongoing training and professional development to support their career progression and to help a skilled workforce