The people the system runs on

Roughly 400,000 people work in Australian aged care, and the rules of their pay and staffing are set in public documents: Fair Work Commission determinations, care-minutes responsibilities, workforce data. We report from the instruments themselves, with union and provider positions attributed by name.

Workforce

From 1 August, aged care nursing pay rises for the last time under the work value case. The exact new rates

Determination PR812118, signed 15 July, closes the case built on the finding that aged care work was historically undervalued because of gender. The full new minimum-rate table, and both sides of the ledger.

18 July 2026