The Government has released a summary of its consultation on a national registration scheme for personal care workers (PCWs), a recommendation of the Aged Care Royal Commission aimed at professionalising the workforce and building greater protections for older people.
The Government consulted on the scheme from 18 February 2025 until 17 April 2025, receiving more than 600 survey responses and written submissions from personal care workers, peak bodies, aged care providers, unions, and training organisations.
Only about 150 out of the total 310,000 PCWs working in aged care took part in the consultation process.
The key findings have been published in a 20-page report, with key themes including:
- there should be a clear definition and scope-of-practice for personal care workers in aged care;
- there should be a register of personal care workers;
- a national worker registration scheme should be consistent across aged care, disability support and veterans’ care;
- there should be ongoing education and training opportunities for personal care workers;
- mandatory minimum skills and qualification requirements should be established;
- workers should be supported to attain a qualification while employed, and
- there should be a phased rollout of a national registration scheme.
The Government will now consider the feedback as they develop the scheme.
PCWs make up the large majority of the aged care workforce, consisting of 72% of direct care roles in residential aged care and almost 90% of direct care roles in the Home Care Packages program.
A long time coming
The Albanese Government removed the mandatory registration of aged care workers from the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022, which was passed by Parliament in August 2022, the first bill passed by the then-new Government.
However, in a commitment to developing a scheme to register PCWs, the 2023-24 Federal Budget included $59.5 million over five years for a National Worker Registration Scheme, including requirements for code of conduct, worker screening, English proficiency, and ongoing training.
The Royal Commission also recommended a registration scheme should make it mandatory for PCWs to hold a mandatory minimum Certificate III qualification. Recent data shows only 66% of PCWs in residential aged care hold a Certification III qualification, or higher, related to their work. In home care, the figure is 60% and in the CHSP, more than 70%.
Read the Consultation Survey Report here.
