Samantha and Irene
A powerful new national ANMF election advertising campaign, featuring aged care nurses, asks Australians to vote to make private aged care ratios law.
The campaign will begin running across regional and metropolitan Victoria in April and will include television, radio, mobile billboards and social media.
The campaign features two unscripted aged care nurses, Samantha and Irene, who strongly voice the concerns of their burnt-out aged care nursing and personal care worker colleagues across the country.
Samantha reflects on the challenges that she, her colleagues and residents face and her sense of despair is soul destroying. Samantha says:
‘If you were to come into an aged care facility and see what I see every day, you’d be heart broken, you’d be disgusted and you’d want to make a change too.
‘Our residents deserve more, our staff deserve more.
And change needs to happen, needs to happen now.’
Watch the ‘It’s disgusting Mr Morrison’ advertisement below.
Irene’s message is angrier and speaks for so many of her colleagues disillusioned that more than 12 months after the release of the aged care royal commission’s final report and the Morrison Government’s $17.7 billion for ‘reforms’ — nothing has changed. Irene says:
‘What part of this don’t you get?
You’ve had that many testimonies and people saying what’s going wrong with aged care.
We’re saying it’s in crisis. Why aren’t you believing us?
What are you going to do about it? Because I want a government that’s got some guts that will take a stance on this and give us the resources we need.’
Watch the ‘We need a government with guts’ advertisement below.
What are the aged care staffing and pay announcements so far?
FEDERAL LABOR
As part of a $2.5 billion announcement Federal Labor opposition leader Anthony Albanese has promised to put the ‘humanity’ back into aged care by implementing:
- 215 daily care minutes for residents by registered nurses, enrolled nurses and personal care workers – as recommended by the aged care royal commission (this would become a ratio)
- a registered nurse onsite 24/7 (this is on top of the daily care minutes)
- funding accountability for aged care providers ensuring funding for care is spent on care
- wage increases funded for aged care workers in line with the outcome of the Fair Work commission’s work value case. ANMF is seeking a 25 per cent wage increase.
FEDERAL COALITION
As part of its $17.7 billion response to the aged care royal commission announced in the 2021 budget the Morrison Government will introduce:
- a registered nurse on site for the morning and afternoon shift (but not the night shift) by October 2022
- 200 daily care minutes – providers must have this in place by October 2023 when it becomes law.
The Morrison Government has declined to state its position on a wage rise.
The federal election is expected to take place in May.
