MEMBERS of the nurses’ union, the ACTU and the Health Services Union gathered at Richmond Park on Monday morning, May 30, to launch their campaign against the Federal Government’s proposed $1.2b cuts to aged care.
Hawkesbury aged care nurse Annette Ryan said as part of the Nurses and Midwives Association union she was there to protest against the attacks on the conditions of aged care workers.
“The employer won’t have to pay super to you if you’re 70 or over,” she told the Gazette. “I’m 69. It’s huge age discrimination. Most people don’t know about this. This is what I’m most passionate about.”
She also said they were campaigning to stop the State Government proposal to abolish the requirement for a registered nurse on all aged care sites 24/7, and campaigning to preserve Sunday penalty rates, which the Federal Government has put before the Fair Work Commission in a bid to cut from time and three quarters, to time and a half.
Part of the launch was a meeting with Hawkesbury Living staff and management raising awareness of the campaign.
John Farry, RN, from the nurses’ union said the proposed penatly rate cuts could be dire for some unlicensed aged care workers who earn as little as $19 an hour.
“Taking $1.2b out of aged care will directly affect care of residents,” he said. “You have to doubt the wisdom of not looking after our aged. They were the nation builders and they went to war for us."
Mr Farry said the $1.2b cuts were part of $57b announced in the 2014 Federal budget to be cut from healthcare over the next 10 years.
He said with nursing being a largely feminised sector, it was unusual for them to take action like this. “We pride ourselves on our good relationship with our employers,” he said. “This shows how strongly nurses are feeling about this.”
Hawkesbury Community Union Alliance’s Adam Hall said the current government put these health cuts forward. “People should think about that before casting their vote,” he said.
Health Services Union rep Ben Steltenpool was there as well and he said the NSWNMA represented the nurses, and HSU represented all other aged care workers such as those in the laundry, the kitchen and the office.
“We’re already feeling the impact of the ACFI – the aged care funding instrument,” he said. “Our main problem is staffing levels, for example kitchen staff being cut from 10 to 6 while still putting out the same number of meals.
“This is going to get a lot worse with the $1.2b cuts. As soon as it impacts the residents, that’s where the buck stops. We learnt from the Quakers Hill fire that staffing levels directly affect the evacuation of residents.”
Macquarie MP Louise Markus refuted the nurses’ and unions’ claims. “Aged care is not being cut,” she said. “Funding for residents assessed as having high complex heath care needs remains the same.
“There will be stronger requirements for providers to justify that level of funding and some changes to service requirements, in line with temporary care practices.
“Funding for the residential care sector will continue to grow, at an average 5.1 per cent per annum, over the forward estimates. Funding to the aged care sector as a whole will grow by around 7 per cent per annum.”