Fewer than 500 visas have been granted in the first year of a Labor scheme designed to fast-track foreign workers into the aged care sector, prompting calls for the Government to review the program’s viability. Source: The Australian
The information comes as the aged care sector continues to wait on crucial reforms to ensure the industry’s financial sustainability, with industry leaders declaring the chance to pass long-awaited legislation before the next election is “slipping through our fingers”.
Despite hopes that the Government’s Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement would help address one of the sector’s key challenges in filling critical shortages, only 418 workers have so far been granted visas under the union-backed scheme.
Figures obtained by The Australian showed that as of June 14, 26 of the 418 visas granted were for nursing support workers, 92 were for aged or disabled carers and 300 were for personal care assistants.
Only 84 were granted to offshore applicants, with the rest already being in Australia.
The slow uptake of visas was blasted by business groups as “insufficient” and a demonstration of the scheme’s failure, 13 months after the five-year labour agreement was signed.
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said without other policies, workforce shortages in aged care would get worse.
The Australian reported in January that just 155 workers had been issued permits – representing less than 2 per cent of the 14,000 available visas being granted eight months into the scheme being launched.
The opposition immigration spokesman, Dan Tehan, said the Government had “got its priorities wrong” in its management of the migration system.
“The Albanese Labor government has got its priorities wrong. Labor is running a Big Australia migration program that will see one million migrants arrive over two years as Australians endure a housing crisis; meanwhile, businesses are screaming out for skilled workers.”
FULL STORY
Labor’s aged care visa scheme flops as only 418 granted in first year (By Sarah Ison, The Australian)
