Foreign aged care workers are facing confusion about their eligibility to enter Australia, with mixed messages as to whether they have the “critical skills” that qualify them for travel exemptions.
Key points:
Some aged care workers say they are being knocked back from returning to Australia to work
Until recently, aged care workers did not feature on the ‘critical skills’ list used by Border Force
Border Force says travel exemptions have been approved for aged care workers
The inconsistency comes as the nation’s aged care sector struggles to cope with ever-present workforce shortages, exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis forcing staff to self-isolate to protect vulnerable residents.
One of the carers who has battled to get back to Australia is Spana Nakarmi. She has been working for an aged care facility in South Hobart for the past four years as a highly qualified nursing assistant.
Ms Nakarmi travelled to Nepal earlier this year to briefly care for her sick mother.
Breaking down the latest news and research to understand how the world is living through an epidemic, this is the ABC’s Coronacast podcast.
Read more
“When you’ve got to triple your workforce by 2050, and you’re under the pressure that aged care providers have been under through the COVID pandemic, you want to have as many different opportunities and options for workers as possible.”
The ABC’s request for comment, spurred by Ms Nakarmi’s plight, was originally directed at the offices of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge and Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck.
Each year Soko Glam releases its Best of K-Beauty Awards highlighting the most innovative and efficacious products to enter the scene. This year, they introduced a new category, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the winner is Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence ($38). This essence is considered a holy grail product […]