Penny Farries

Nurse Penny Farries is an essential care worker in Sydney who endures a lengthy daily commute of up to 90 minutes each way from her home in Illawong to an inner-city hospital. Her experience highlights the challenges faced by many care workers in the city, as low pay and high commuting costs, approximately $22 per trip in road tolls, contribute to a growing exodus from the profession. Farries has noted that the pressure of commuting has led several colleagues to leave nursing, prompting her to advocate for discounts on toll roads for essential service workers to help alleviate their financial burden.