Aged care workers are questioning why they are yet to receive a $400 bonus promised by the Prime Minister earlier this year.
Scott Morrison made the announcement in February in an attempt to keep workers from leaving the sector after two years of managing COVID-19 outbreaks.
"The $400 payments [are] retention payments. That's what they effectively are," he said at the time.
"What we're doing here is helping the aged care providers give that support to aged care workers during this pandemic to be able to keep them there working in those facilities, which is incredibly important."
However, United Workers Union (UWU) national aged care director Carolyn Smith said many staff had not received the extra cash.
"The government really gave the impression to workers that come the first of March they would have the money in their hands," she said.
"So workers have been feeling really let down."
The UWU said it surveyed 1,026 aged care workers across the country and found just 31 had received the bonus.
Ms Smith said they were far from impressed.
"So they've seen Scott Morrison standing up and saying aged care workers are going to get a bonus in March to thank them for working through Omicron to encourage them to stay in the sector," she said.
"And yet again, it's another failure … they were failed with provision of PPE … they were working really crazy hours [during Omicron] and now they really feel like the bonuses failed them as well."
Government insists program is on track
Aged care providers are responsible for handing out the extra cash.
However to get the money, they must determine which of their staff are eligible for the bonus and then apply to the federal government for the cash grants.
The application process opened on March 1, a month after the Prime Minister made the announcement, and it will close on April 15.
A spokesman for Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck insisted the rollout was on track.
"In the three weeks since the grant round has been open, the department has received more than 650 applications out of an expected 1,600 for the round," he said.
"The department is working closely with providers where applications have been completed incorrectly.
"Staff are encouraged to talk to their employer and seek the information that has been provided to them through peak aged care organisations and unions."
Mr Colbeck's office further confirmed that of those who had applied so far, 290 providers had had their paperwork processed, allowing bonuses to be paid to staff.
At this stage, there are no details about how many staff have been given the bonus.
A second payment will be handed to providers in May, with the expectation it will be handed to workers in that month, which is also when voters will head to the polls for a federal election.
The total bonus payments of $800 follow similar measures introduced by the government last year.
Three payments were made to 234,000 aged care workers earlier in the pandemic at a cost of $393 million.
While aged care workers have welcomed the bonuses, they have called for a permanent pay rise, amid concerns cost-of-living pressures are adding further stress to their hip pocket.
The matter is before the Fair Work Commission, which is expected to make a ruling by the middle of the year.
