The Federal Government has come under fire for an educational cash splash on aged care nursing despite those nurses being up $300 a week worse off than their public hospital colleagues.

Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler has unveiled a new round of postgraduate and continuing professional development scholarships in aged care nursing.

The release of 130 scholarships, valued at up to $30,000 each through the Royal College of Nursing Australia, comes as the Australian Nursing Federation steps up its fight for the government to spend more funds on closing the wages gap between aged care nurses and those at public hospitals.

An ANF spokeswoman said while the union welcomed funding earmarked for improving the skills and education of the aged care workforce, it was no substitute for fixing some of the sector’s systemic problems such as wages and ratios.

"These measures will have an enduring impact on the quality of care we provide to older Australians in the future," she said.

Figures show the Federal Government spends just 0.8 percent of gross domestic product on aged care, well below that of other developed nations.

The statistics, released by the Combined Pensioners and Superannuates Association of NSW, shows Norway spends 2 percent of GDP on aged care while the Netherlands spends 3.5 percent and Sweden spends 3.6 percent.

In announcing the scholarships, Mr Butler said eligible study areas include clinical gerontology, behavioural management, dementia care, wound care, continence care, palliative care, infection control and leadership and management.

"Having access to further training and career advancement makes aged care a better career option and makes it easier to attract and keep quality staff, which in turn means better care for our increasing population of older Australians," he said.

Scholarship applications close April 27, 2011. For more information visit www.rcna.org.au.