Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party, Minister for Workforce Participation) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to sum up this debate on the Aged Care Amendment (Residential Care) Bill 2006. I thank the speakers both from the government and from the opposition who have contributed. I accept the congratulations from the member for New England on the contents of this bill. The Australian government has put an extraordinary amount of additional resources and policy improvements into ensuring that our most vulnerable Australians have a decent life and that they can continue in their communities for as long as possible in their own homes and then go into residential care, if they need it, and that that residential care is as close to their home community as possible.

The member for New England then went on to talk about veterans. Let me also stress to you that there has never been a more understanding and generous response to veterans when comparing this government with any other Australian government. The veterans in my community, and I have a very substantial proportion, are extraordinarily grateful for the standing and the empathy shown to them and the support which is given daily to all Australian veterans.

Let me say that the opposition’s amendment to this bill is, I am afraid, an example of perhaps no-one reading the bill or choosing not to understand it—that is what oppositions do: they simply say no—because, of course, one of the claims in the amendment was a concern about checks and, in particular, ‘failing to protect our vulnerable aged population’. The opposition’s amendment seeks to ensure ‘that all residential aged-care facilities receive at least one unannounced spot check every year’. The member for Shortland, in her remarks, made a great deal of this particular situation. Of course, from 1 July 2006 the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd has increased these spot checks. They are conducted each year in residential aged-care homes. They have increased from 886 in 2005-06 to around 3,000 per year. The agency receives additional funding of $8.6 million over four years to conduct these additional spot checks. It is expected that the target of one spot check per home per year will be fully met. The agency also undertakes other visits and around 5,200 in total will be made to aged-care homes each year.

Further, under the new complaints handling process to be introduced on 1 April 2007, departmental investigators will have the power to conduct unannounced visits to homes. So quite clearly this bill more than understands and caters for a full and comprehensive checking process for aged-care facilities, and indeed we have already brought about a substantial improvement in the systems of old. There are a range of other measures already in place to ensure that our older Australians have the very best possible care—in fact, world best care. These include a complaints resolution scheme, an aged care standards and accreditation scheme and the payment for police checks for volunteers under the Community Visitors Scheme, which was announced in May 2006.

On top of this the Howard government has announced an additional $90 million to create a new aged care commissioner position and to create a new office for aged care. There will be new, vigorous complaints investigations—I have already referred to some of those—and compulsory reporting of abuse and legal protection for whistleblowers. We understand just how vulnerable a resident in an aged-care facility may be and we also recognise what might happen in some places that are not best practice and up to standard when someone does make a complaint on behalf of an elderly resident. So that additional $90 million can hardly be seen as anything other than a substantial additional investment in the care of our elderly, making sure they have a safe and homelike environment. I do recommend that the member for Shortland become better acquainted with exactly what is currently in place to assist our elderly and that she carefully read the contents of the bill, because it will help her no end to understand how the system works.

Let me also go on to say that the legislation makes amendments to the Aged Care Act 1997 and the effects of these amendments, as I have said, will be of great benefit to older Australians but particularly those living in residential aged care or considering entering residential aged care. In the 2006-07 federal budget the coalition government announced that it will bring the treatment of assets for aged-care purposes into line with the treatment for pension purposes in relation to limits on the gifting of assets and the concessional treatment of complying income streams. This legislation gives effect to these changes. It will enable Centrelink and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to streamline their systems so that they no longer have to assess gifted assets differently, which caused great confusion and uncertainty in families and to individuals. These aged-care assets assessments have been undertaken on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing. This new streamlined process should prevent a pensioner who has been assessed as eligible for residential aged care from gifting away most of their assets before entering care in order to try to avoid paying an accommodation payment so that they can become eligible for a government concessional residential supplement.

From September 2007 the treatment of income streams purchased on or after 20 September 2007 will also be aligned. Income streams purchased prior to 20 September 2007 will continue to enjoy the 100 per cent exemption from the aged care assets test that currently applies. Residents and prospective residents will be better able to make decisions about their care needs as a result of these changes because they will have greater certainty about their financial situation and status prior to entry to the aged-care facility. It is not a time for families and individuals to be worried. People will know that what applies to their pension in dealing with Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs will also apply to their assets situation when going into permanent residential aged care.

This legislation will also remove uncertainty about the powers that aged care assessment teams, otherwise known as ACATs, have in approving extensions to the length of time of residential respite care. This legislation will allow the secretary to delegate the powers to increase the maximum number of days allowed by periods of 21 days where there is a need to do so. That delegation will go to ACAT delegates. This will make the process for approving additional respite care for individuals simpler and quicker.

This legislation also delivers on the initiatives of the 2004-05 Investing in Australia’s Aged Care: More Places, Better Care package. In particular, it addresses streamlining administration. The coalition government has a long and strong commitment to ensuring a robust and viable aged-care sector. We want to see our older Australians who built this country provided with high-quality and affordable care. We know that they are amongst the most vulnerable and needy in our country and we owe them a great deal of respect and very careful support in their older years. I commend this bill to the House.

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