NSW: Carers' wages worse than dog-walkers, union says

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2008
NSW: Carers' wages worse than dog-walkers, union says

SYDNEY, April 23 AAP - Dog-walkers earn more money than community service workers with
university degrees, the Australian Services Union (ASU) says.

In a bid to boost care workers' wages by 30 per cent, the ASU launched a campaign today
to challenge state and federal governments on compensation for those who provide services
to the homeless, families in crisis and people suffering disabilities or mental illness.

ASU state secretary Sally McManus said the 30,000 community service workers in NSW
were employed by non-profit organisations which received 90 per cent of their funding
from government.

Figures from the federal government's Jobsearch website revealed the average community
service worker received a starting annual salary of $40,000 compared to a salary of $65,000
for university graduates in some other professions.

"These frontline workers are in a situation where they're having to decide will they
do a job that they love and that they're trained for, or will they be able to pay their
rent or mortgage," Ms McManus told reporters in Sydney.

Two thirds of community service workers had a university degree, Ms McManus said, and
the others had at least a TAFE certificate in their area of speciality.

Over the past 10 years the complexity of issues facing people in crisis had increased,
while funding from government had stayed the same or in many areas actually decreased
in real terms.

Ms Manus said this would mean fewer services and fewer people entering the profession.

"People (clients) get turned away all the time and there's an enormous amount of unmet
need," she said.

"You can fund all the services you want to but if you can't staff those services you're
not going to be able to deliver."

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KEYWORD: COMMUNITY

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