A pay rise for aged care workers has not been budgeted for this year, a federal minister has confirmed.
Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds says the coalition government will review any decisions by the independent regulator before committing to a pay rise for aged care workers.
"(The government) will wait for (the Fair Work Commission) to do their work, they'll make a determination, we will review it and then we will take whatever position we do after that review," she told a Senate estimates committee on Friday.
But the prime minister says the government will implement the commission's recommendation.
"It's impossible to know what that (decision) is," he told reporters in Sydney.
"The Fair Work Commission finding has to be honoured and it will be."
Greens senator Janet Rice says it's surprising the government hasn't budgeted for the pay rise when it knows the commission will be making a recommendation.
"(The government) didn't see any need to put any form of contingency in the budget to cover those increased costs," she said.
"It's pretty evident - given what we know about the low wages of aged care workers who work tirelessly and are paid a pittance - that there will be recommendations."
But Senator Reynolds says the government can't predict what those recommendations will be.
"We are many things ... but we're not mind readers in terms of what the Fair Work Commission will determine and we'll (budget) that at the appropriate time," she said.
Meanwhile, only half of aged care providers have had the $400 bonus per worker promised by the government approved.
Officials from the health department said 499 of 807 aged care service providers have had their applications for the payment approved since the bonus was announced earlier this year.
But it could take between three and six months for an audit to determine if workers haven't received the bonus, Health Department official James Benson told the committee hearing on Friday.
Before then, it will be up to workers to alert the department if they haven't received it.
Senator Rice said this shows the government is not following through on its promises.
But Health Department head Brendan Murphy says providers want to do the best thing by the workers and will apply for and pass on the payment.
Labor made aged care a key plank of its budget reply on Thursday, pledging to improve the pay of aged care workers and making a formal submission to the commission in favour of a rise.
