Catholic Health Australia – National Registration Scheme for Personal Care Workers in Aged Care Submission

Executive summary

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) is the largest non-government grouping of health, aged care and community service providers in Australia. Our members operate around 12 per cent of all aged care residential services and approximately 20 per cent of home care services, alongside extensive hospital and community health operations across all states and territories. Collectively, they employ approximately 83,000 people across Australia, including thousands of personal care workers (PCWs) who are vital to the delivery of safe, compassionate aged care.

CHA welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Department’s consultation on a national registration scheme for personal care workers. While CHA supports the goal of improving the quality, safety and standing of the aged care workforce, we are cautious about the potential unintended consequences of a registration scheme if it is not implemented with care, flexibility, and in alignment with broader workforce reforms.

This submission identifies key design principles and practical safeguards that must be in place if a national scheme is to proceed. It also proposes alternative and complementary strategies to uplift the capability, accountability and stability of the aged care workforce more broadly.

In particular, CHA recommends that:

• Any registration scheme must be pragmatic, proportionate to risk, and embedded within existing regulatory frameworks to avoid duplication;
• The system must include transitional and provisional registration pathways and recognise prior learning and experience, including for international workers;
• Regulatory costs for both providers and workers must be modelled and capped to avoid exacerbating existing workforce pressures;
• A nationally consistent background screening process should be adopted to reduce compliance duplication across CHSP, NDIS, HCP and Support at Home;
• Non-regulatory mechanisms — such as investment in training access, workforce planning infrastructure, and provider-led development pathways — be prioritised alongside or ahead of formal registration.

CHA urges the Department to proceed with caution and collaboration, working closely with providers to ensure that workforce reforms are grounded in the operational realities of care delivery. A registration scheme, if introduced, must not become an additional barrier to workforce participation — particularly at a time when the sector is already under strain. Rather, it should form part of a broader, integrated workforce strategy that supports care quality, system sustainability, and the dignity of older Australians.