Government Appoints Chair of Aged Care Advisory Group
19 June 2012 at 9:39 am
| Anne Gooley will lead the Aged Care Strategic Workforce Advisory Group. |
The Federal Government has appointment Fair Work Australia Commissioner Anne Gooley as the Chair of the Aged Care Strategic Workforce Advisory Group, which met for the first time in Canberra yesterday.
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler said that Commissioner Gooley will lead the development of an Aged Care Workforce Compact in close consultation with the aged care sector and unions.
“One of the major constraints to growing the aged care system to meet the needs of older Australians is workforce shortages,” Butler said.
“The Compact will help the aged care sector attract and retain staff through higher wages, improved career structures, and enhanced training and education opportunities.
“Not only do we want to see improvements in aged care, but better jobs for workers in the sector,” Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said.
Through its Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package, the Federal Government says it will provide $1.2 billion over five years to tackle critical shortages in the aged care workforce.
The Compact will result in a tripartite commitment between Government, unions and aged care providers to tackle the workforce problems confronting the sector.
Commissioner Gooley was appointed to Fair Work Australia in January 2010. Previously she was public interest litigation principal at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. She has a teaching and research background and subsequently reached the level of Assistant Secretary, Victorian Branch of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance before joining Maurice Blackburn in 1998.
“Commissioner Gooley has extensive experience in workplace relations and will work closely with all aged care stakeholders to develop the Compact,” Shorten said.
Minister Butler also appointed Professor Peter Shergold as the Chair of the Aged Care Reform Implementation Council, saying that he brings a wealth of experience to the role.
“As a former secretary of the department of Prime Minister and cabinet and a senior public servant for two decades, Peter Shergold has proven his capacity to drive reform of this scale,” Butler said.
