A pre-election poll has shown a strong majority (62%) of Australians believe Federal Government funding for aged care should be increased, with only 15% believing it is ‘about right, 3% wanting a decrease, and 19% still undecided.
Support for a wage increase is even more prevalent in 17 swing electorates (74%) and among Labor voters (73%), the polling by JWS Research found.
The poll also revealed 71% of Australians support a 25% increase for all aged care workers when also told this is equivalent to an increase of between $5.40 and $7.20 per hour to increase the average wage to $29 per hour. Only 7% are opposed while 21% are neutral or undecided.
Almost half of voters (46%) said they would be more likely to vote for a party or candidate who supports increased Federal Government funding for aged care (versus 2% less likely, 40% no difference, 11% undecided). In the 17 swing electorates, support climbs to 55%.
In support of a wage increase for aged care workers, 71% of Australians agree that ‘many facilities are understaffed – wage increases are needed to attract and retain staff with the right mix of skills to ensure older Australians receive safe, quality care’.
Health Services Union National President, Gerard Hayes said the results were a wakeup call to wavering politicians.
“It’s simply inexplicable that Scott Morrison and the Liberals are yet to back the HSU case for a decent wage aged care rise. They won’t even commit to funding the outcome of a wage rise awarded by the Fair Work Commission. We will be reminding the public of this every day until the federal election,” said Mr Hayes.
“These poll results are also a clear warning for Labor politicians. Labor needs to be clear on its commitment to aged care or it will risk losing support to those independents and minor parties who do.
“At least 600 aged care residents have lost their lives during the Omicron outbreak. This is traumatising for families, but also for staff. This workforce is mostly casual or underemployed women. Their work is physically and emotionally exhausting and they are at their wits’ end.
“Any politician who won’t commit to higher wages should eyeball the workforce and explain why they don’t deserve to earn more than $22 an hour. They should also ask themselves if they would trade places with an aged care worker.
“Aged care funding is a vote changer at this election. The sooner politicians realise this and commit to a wage rise, the better.”
*The survey was conducted online from 10 – 19 January 2022 and comprised a nationally representative sample of 1,600 respondents (800 of which were sampled from the following 17 identified electorates: Gilmore, Richmond, Macquarie, Eden-Monaro, Robertson, Cowper, Page, Dobell, Blair, Longman, Leichhardt, Boothby, Braddon, Bass, Flinders, Hasluck, Pearce)
