Aged Care Award Wages - Historical Leave Liabilities Increases - 1 August 2026

The purpose of this grant opportunity is to provide $12.033 million in 2026-27 in one-off funding to eligible registered providers to pay eligible registered and enrolled nurses working in aged care to take their leave entitlements at the increased wage rates effective from 1 August 2026 as a result of the FWC decision under the ACWVC only. 

This grant opportunity will only cover: 

• 1 August 2026 wage increases for eligible registered and enrolled nurses working in aged care.

This grant opportunity recognises that accumulated leave liabilities for eligible registered and enrolled nurses working in aged care will have increased as a result of the FWC ACWVC decision that applied from 1 August 2026, and the associated cost to registered providers of aged care when these nurses take this leave will have increased. 

Eligible registered providers include those that provide one or more of the following Commonwealth funded aged care programs: 

• Residential Aged Care, 
• Support at Home Program, 
• Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), 
• Transition Care Program, and / or
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program (NATSIFACP).