Registered and enrolled nurses working in aged care will receive their final wage increase from the ANMF Aged Care Work Value case from the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2026.
Your employer is required to pass on all of the funding they receive from the Commonwealth Government for aged care work value increases to you in the form of higher wages, allowances and on-costs.
This will be the final increase from this case. You should have received three earlier increases as a result of the case – in July 2023 (for direct care workers and nurses), March 2025 (for nurses) and October 2025 (nurses and carers).
As the case related to the federal awards – which set the national minimum rates of pay – future wage increases will be negotiated by ANMF directly with your employer during enterprise agreement bargaining.
The August increase in detail
As a result of the August increase,
- Enrolled nurses will receive an additional $1.72 per hour ($65.40 per week for a full-time employee)
- Registered nurses at Grade 2 will receive either an additional $1.49, $1.63 or $1.60 per hour extra depending on their years of experience (translating to $56.62, $61.94 or $60.80 per week for a full-time employee)
- Registered nurses at Grade 5 will generally receive an additional $1.47 per hour ($55.80 per week for a full-time employee) – noting that a slightly lower increase may apply if your classification received a higher uplift in March 2025.
These increases should be paid on top of whatever your enterprise agreement rate is at that time.
As with Stage 2, and the first increases of Stage 3, you need to be vigilant and look at your pay slip to ensure that:
- An uplift (noting the amounts described above) has been passed on in addition to your rate as at 31 July 2026; and that
- Your shift allowances and other wage-related allowances* have also increased.
*Note that meal, travel, uniform, laundry and other cost-related allowances are not included.
Your employer should advise all staff in writing about the increases. If you haven’t received the increases by the end of August, please contact ANMF (Vic Branch) by making an enquiry via Member Assistance and providing a pre- and post-August pay slip.
As with the earlier Stage 2 and Stage 3 increases, ANMF will seek to meet with aged care employers to consult and agree on a new wages and allowances schedule from the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2026.
Current aged care bargains
ANMF is currently engaged in bargaining for EBAs covering Victorian ANMF members at dozens of aged care workplaces. Some key bargains are outlined below. If your employer is not listed, you can check your EBA expiry date via the Member Portal. Typically, we can begin negotiating for a replacement EBA and seek improved wages and conditions six months out from the existing EBA’s expiry date.
Opal HealthCare
ANMF is currently bargaining for a replacement EBA for members at Opal HealthCare. Opal bought BlueCross in 2024, and ANMF is seeking a new four-year agreement that preserves BlueCross’s better conditions – including higher pay for some classifications – for all nurses and PCWs across Opal’s 50+ Victorian aged care facilities. Improvements we are seeking include a five per cent annual wage increase, improved staffing/workload clauses, meal break provisions and improved leave.
ANMF (Vic Branch) will hold in-person members’ meetings across Opal’s 57 facilities in the coming weeks to determine next steps. Opal members – check your inbox for details!
Mecwacare
At Mecwacare, ANMF is also seeking a five per cent annual increase in wages with corresponding initial uplifts to meet industry rates, and an increase in the casual penalty rates, overtime rates and Saturday and Sunday rates, among other improvements to conditions and entitlements.
Calvary Health Care
The Calvary agreement, which expired on 30 June 2026, had some of the best conditions in the Victorian aged care industry, and ANMF is seeking to maintain this in current bargaining, along with a five per cent annual wage increase, increases to the casual penalty rates, overtime rates and Saturday and Sunday rates as well as other improvements to conditions and entitlements.
As of late July, however, Calvary has proposed delaying further negotiations until 2027 and instead providing a three per cent wage and allowance increase from FFPPOA 1 August 2026. Members accepted the proposal, while calling on Calvary to commence negotiations by no later than 30 April 2027.
TLC
Members at TLC Aged Care Victoria endorsed their log of claims in early July and those claims have now been sent to the employer ahead of bargaining negotiations commencing.
Members are seeking a four-year agreement outlining, among other things, minimum safe staffing levels, a five per cent per annum wage increase alongside increases to the casual penalty rates, overtime rates and Saturday and Sunday rates, increases to parental and other leave, and the introduction of a union delegate clause.
Benetas
Negotiations for the two current enterprise agreements are ongoing. Bargaining meetings have been scheduled fortnightly. Members are seeking industry standard wage increases across classifications, minimum safe staffing levels amongst other improvements to terms and conditions of employment.
Arcare
ANMF continues to meet with Arcare to discuss the replacement EBA. We have raised concerns about the proposed nurses’ structure, including that the entry level seems to be broader than just for graduates, and that there is no definition of what ‘other qualifications’ are.
At this stage there is no timeframe for bargaining to conclude, however discussions have been fruitful, and Arcare have agreed to back-pay the first wages uplift of 3 per cent to 1 July 2025, with future increases proposed to be 3 per cent, 2.75 per cent and 2.75 per cent.
Baptcare
BaptCare negotiations have commenced with ANMF seeking per annum wage increases of five percent, minimum safe staffing levels and a range of other improvements. The current agreement expires in September 2026.
