Australian aged care providers have never worked harder to recruit – or paid more dearly when people leave. Since the Aged Care Act 2024 and the strengthened Quality Standards commenced on 1 November 2025, every rostered hour of nursing and personal care time carries regulatory weight: care minutes, round-the-clock registered nurse coverage and the workforce obligations under Standard 2 all depend on holding onto capable staff. When a worker resigns, the provider absorbs recruitment costs, agency backfill and induction time – and residents lose a familiar face.

Turnover concentrates in the first year. New entrants – especially internationally trained nurses and personal care workers settling into regional communities – face pressures no induction covers: isolation and distance from family, culture shock on and off the floor, shift fatigue, unfamiliar workplace norms, and the slow work of building a life somewhere new. These things are rarely raised with a supervisor, and by the time they surface in an exit interview it is too late.

Training programs such as the Chancellor Institute short course prepare candidates to start well. Thrive in Care is designed to make sure they stay – pairing each new staff member with an experienced, independent mentor who walks beside them for their entire first year.