The next pay increase for nurses and personal carers resulting from the ANMF’s Aged Care Work Value case is scheduled for the first full pay period on or after (FFPPOOA) Wednesday 1 October 2025.
This will be the final increase for carers as a result of this Fair Work Commission case, coming after the two previous increases – most recently in January this year.
For nurses working in aged care, the 1 October pay rise resulting from the case will be followed by a further, final, increase on 1 August 2026.
Members working in aged care are encouraged to check your pay slips and contact the Branch via Member Assistance if you have any concerns.
These increases are in relation to the federal ANMF Aged Care Work Value case only. Future pay rises for carers and nurses in aged care will be negotiated during EBA bargaining at individual workplaces. Check your individual EBA in the member portal for any other pay rises you may be due under your current EBA.
How much will my pay increase?
A graduate RN Level 1 pay point 1 in aged care under the Award will be $1446.66 (compared to the current graduate RN rate of $1392.70).
Minimum rates for enrolled nurses will increase by $1.64 per hour and the minimum rate of pay for a Certificate III qualified carer under the Award will be $1314.30 (compared to the current rate of $1264.30).
Due to the calculation method adopted by the Fair Work Commission, RNs at more experienced increments within classifications may not have received a pay rise in the first tranche or received a smaller amount than comparatively classified colleagues with less experience. This time, all nurses within a classification – regardless of experience level – will receive an increase in the October 2025 and 2026 tranches.
I’m employed under an enterprise agreement. Will the award increases affect me?
The rates mentioned above are payable under the Award: the federal minimum. Victorian Aged Care enterprise agreements will already have wage rates higher than the award rates – they cannot legally be lower. However, almost all nurses covered by an enterprise agreement will also see their rates increase further. If your agreement rate is lower than the new Award rate, it must be increased to at least match the new Award rate at 1 October 2025 (regardless of what rate the EBA prescribes).
As the wage increases achieved by ANMF through the Aged Care Work Value case are fully funded by the Commonwealth government, all rates paid across Victoria (including enterprise agreement rates) must increase by the difference between the current and new Award wage rates.
ANMF (Vic Branch) is meeting with all Victorian private aged care providers to ensure that the additional funding provided to aged care employers for these increases is passed on to nurses and carers as intended.
Will there be further changes?
There is one more increase scheduled for nurses in August 2026.
In addition, ANMF still has the general Nurses Award case in front of the Commission. This case seeks to increase the Nurses Award, for all nurses other than aged care nurses, by 35 per cent.
If successful, this application will ensure that the recognition of work value given to nurses and personal carers in stage 2 and 3 of the aged care work value case will be extended to all Award-covered nurses, midwives and personal carers.
How did we get here?
In 2021 ANMF initiated a case in the Fair Work Commission as per Recommendation 84 of the Aged Care Royal Commission, which found that the work of nurses and carers was under-valued and under-paid.
Our case had two key aims:
- to increase the Award (federal minimum) rates of pay to reflect the increased work value of aged care employees
- to ensure equal pay for work of equal value, given that aged care work is performed by a predominantly female workforce and has been historically under-valued compared to comparable work in mainly male industries.
ANMF sought to increase the Award rates by 25 per cent.
In November 2022, the Commission handed down an initial, interim, decision to increase wages for aged care nurses and care workers by 15 per cent.
In March 2024, it followed with its final decision for all aged care workers except nurses. This decision saw a total wage increase of 23 per cent (inclusive of the 15 per cent from the initial interim decision), with the new increases beginning from 1 January 2025 with a further and final increase on 1 October 2025.
Finally, in December 2024, the Commission published its final determination for nurses working in residential and home care aged care. This decision included a new classification structure, and three equal tranches of further pay increases (due on 1 March 2025, 1 October 2025 and 1 August 2026).
