In a sign of how entrenched the use of foreign students had become,Tom Symondson,head of industry peak body the Aged and Community Care Providers Association,said the organisation wanted a six-month extension to existing conditions for those on student visas to gauge whether worker availability was improving.
“As it stands,the decision will likely have the impact of worsening the current shortages,” Symondson said.
According to aged care network Catholic Health Australia,at least 10 per cent of its workforce are student visa holders,40 per cent of whom work more than 48 hours a fortnight.
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CHA aged care director Jason Kara said the industry was juggling severe work shortages while trying to increase staffing to meet upcoming requirements for minutes of care per patient. “CHA has raised the issue of student visa work limits with the government and is working through the issue collaboratively,” Kara said.
Eldercare chief executive Jane Pickering said increasing the hours international students were allowed to work during the pandemic had been invaluable. “Reducing these hours will have a devastating impact on our services and increase pressure on an already stretched workforce,” Pickering said.
The government is revising its intake of international students to ensure they are coming to Australia to study useful skills and mitigate the use of student visas as a backdoor method to filling low-paid jobs.