Aged care and migrant workers

August 18, 2026

I found the suggestion that Australia needs to “wean itself off migrant workers” in aged care concerning and, from my experience working in the sector for years, overly simplistic.

There is certainly a need to train more Australians, improve wages and conditions, and make caring professions more attractive, but this doesn’t mean migrant workers should be regarded as a temporary dependency that we should ultimately eliminate.

Aged care has long relied on overseas-born workers because many Australians simply don’t want to undertake this demanding, poorly valued work. We have always had jobs in Australia that are difficult to fill domestically and migration has been one way of meeting those workforce needs.

Migrant care workers also bring something that is too easily overlooked: cultural values around caring for older parents and extended family. In my experience, many bring genuine compassion, commitment and an understanding of the importance of caring for the whole person and their family.

We should absolutely invest in training Australians, but alongside, not instead of, the migrant workers who already provide such an important part of the care our ageing population depends upon.