Ms Byrnes (Cunningham)(13:11): Today is the fifth annual ‘Thank You for Working in Aged Care Day’, ran by the mighty Health Services Union.

I am a proud member of the HSU, and today I would like to give my thanks to the tens of thousands of workers across the country who work tirelessly in our aged care system.

These workers - personal carers, allied health professionals, nurses, cooks and cleaners - commit themselves every day to deliver high-quality care to our older Australians.

I also thank Gerard Hayes, Adam Hall, Lynne Russell, Lauren Hutchins, Meri Bosevski and Renee Sheridan, from the HSU, for their relentless support of our local aged-care workers - it has been a privilege working with you to develop and implement Labor's aged-care policies.

Together with the Albanese Labor Government and the Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells, we are working hard to support the aged care sector in the Illawarra and around the country.

So far we have:
• Backed in a 15% pay rise for aged care workers
• Achieved 24 hour nursing across our aged care facilities 98 per cent of the time
• Funded over 214,000 fee free TAFE places for sectors in need, including aged care
• Joined with NSW Health Minister, Ryan Park and the NSW Government to deliver an additional 35 transitional aged care beds in Illawarra and Shoalhaven, and
• Opened a Medicare Urgent Care Centre in Corrimal to help alleviate pressure on our local hospitals and health workers

We will continue to work together to ensure our workforce is supported in providing older Australians the care they deserve. Thank you.