James Bidgood (Dawson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Aged Care Amendment (2008 Measures No. 2) Bill 2008. The purpose of the bill is to amend the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged Care (Bond Security) Act 2006 to address current legislative inadequacies and to maintain effective regulatory safeguards for ensuring high-quality care for older Australians. The bill is part of a package of reforms designed to ensure that the approximately one-quarter of a million frail, older Australians who are in residential care, or who receive community care services in their homes, receive high-quality care. It further ensures that the often significant sums of money paid by care recipients are managed responsibly, and that the regulatory framework is robust.

In particular, the proposed amendments: firstly, link approved provider status to the allocation of aged-care places directly linked to Commonwealth funding; secondly, modernise the legislation so that it better aligns with contemporary business practice and applies to all approved providers regardless of their corporate structure; thirdly, streamline assessments of frail older Australians to ensure more timely, consistent and quality assessments; and fourthly, ensure that any accommodation bonds or like payments paid by frail, older Australians for entry into aged-care services are fully protected under the Accommodation Bond Guarantee Scheme, and make some more minor operational changes to improve the administration of the legislation so that it operates more efficiently and effectively.

This bill is an important part of the Rudd Labor government’s commitment to delivering to those people who rely on a strong and fair aged-care industry. The changes implemented by the bill will see significant net benefits to all stakeholders. In terms of cost, some of these measures are likely to result in small initial implementation costs to the aged-care industry while other measures are expected to lead to efficiencies in savings.

The changes outlined in the bill have been the subject of consultation with the aged-care sector through the Ageing Consultative Committee. This comprises peak industry, professional and consumer bodies. Committee members also consulted more broadly, distributing a consultation paper prepared by the Department of Health and Ageing. Written submissions were received from stakeholders and informed the development and finetuning of the complex legislative and policy reform processes.

The Rudd Labor government are proud of the level of consultation we have with our stakeholders and communities, especially the seniors community. Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of receiving in the electorate of Dawson the Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot. She came to Mackay, where we held an aged-care forum with representatives from all aged-care stakeholder groups in the electorate—such as the CEO and general manager of the Good Shepherd Lodge, the CEO and general manager of Resthaven, the leaders of the Homefield Aged Persons Home and Sister Pauline from the Francis of Assisi Home. We also had leaders of nursing homes in Proserpine and Sarina with us there, in the electorate of Dawson. It was a small group of peak operators and decision makers sitting down face to face with the Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliott.

During my consultations, I spent a lot of time getting together with the peak operators of the aged-care industry in the electorate of Dawson. They called upon me very early in the election cycle to have a meeting with the Minister for Ageing, so it was particularly pleasing for me to have Justine Elliott come to Mackay and enable that to happen within our first year in government. Those operators were excited and ecstatic at the reception they received and comforted that their concerns, highly detailed and well explained, were able to be expressed in an atmosphere very conducive to good, positive and constructive discussion. I know from speaking to the Minister for Ageing after that process how edifying she personally found it and that she found the participants’ commentary very positive and constructive. I know that the minister has taken a lot of what they said seriously and on board in her assessment of the situation.

Something which has also pleased many of the people in the aged-care industry is the Rudd Labor government’s leadership in deciding to inject $10.4 billion into the economy. Part of that is giving $1,400 to each single elderly person and $2,100 to couples. As you would know, in aged-care facilities there are many contractual business arrangements whereby up to 85 per cent of any additions to the aged-care pension may be taken from the person in the home. This government made a very clear decision, and that was to give a 100 per cent lump sum which will be going out on 8 December 2008 to the elderly folk across this nation. They will benefit from it directly 100 per cent. There will be no deductions by anybody as it passes from government to the individuals concerned. And that is going to be really good news for our elderly people, who will be able and empowered to spend that money as they choose, or, if they wish, to save it. They will be able to buy presents for their families, to buy those things which they have never been able to afford before or perhaps to give something back to those who spent many years caring for them before they went into an aged-care home. So I think it is a very positive thing.

While the minister was in Mackay, in the seat of Dawson, the minister’s visit marked the recognition of a senior citizen, Lynn Howland. She was honoured by the federal government with a plaque presented by the minister at a large gathering of senior citizens. I would like to take some time to recognise volunteers such as Lynn Howland, who have spent a lifetime serving other people. She truly did deserve this plaque. Mrs Howland is currently chairman of the Mackay District Senior Citizens Club. She has held the position for seven years and was vice-chairman for three years before that. Lynn is at the centre nearly every time the club is open for activities unless her other community commitments force her to be absent while she is at another meeting or activity.

The club is open five days a week for 48 weeks of the year—except for the dances, which continue all year round. The club has the following activities weekly. On Sunday they have indoor bowls from 1 pm to 4.30 pm. On Monday they have indoor bowls from 7 pm to 10 pm, and on Tuesday they have cards, craft and indoor bowls from 8 am to 11 am, and indoor bowls from 1 pm to 4.30 pm. On Thursday they have cards and indoor bowls and, on the third week of the month, either a cent sale or a concert. On Saturdays they have dancing from 7.30 to 11.30. Generally, Lynn Howland is at the Mackay centre for the night. Monthly, the club has, on Saturdays, cards from 1.30 to 4.30 and on Sundays they have barbecues from 6.30 to 10 pm. Yearly activities include things like morning tea for residents from aged-care homes in September. Entertainment is also provided. They have balls twice a year, Hogmanay on New Year’s Eve, concerts three times a year—which Lynn convenes—and other clubs are invited for a night of social bowls four times a year.

Lynn is constantly on the lookout for funding to assist the club with finances so that the costs can be kept down for seniors. Recently she submitted applications to the Gambling Community Benefit Fund, the Volunteer Grants Program, the Q150 Community Funding Program and the Community of the Year award.

In 2008 Lynn arranged a charity concert to assist the Mackay North Primary School, as they had been severely flooded in the February 2008 floods that hit Mackay. This school often assists the senior citizens with the concerts by performing the first half of the entertainment. I must say that just last week, on Thursday, I was at the senior citizens hall and I heard the Mackay North Primary School band. They were absolutely delightful, well orchestrated and very well disciplined. They brought great joy to the many elderly people who were there, and gave a fantastic performance.

During Seniors Week each year Mrs Howland has been instrumental in arranging activities for seniors in the district. For the last five years this has included working with two other groups—the NSA Mackay branch and 50 and Better—to host a sausage sizzle and entertainment morning to launch Seniors Week. This event has non-stop entertainment from 9 am till 12.30 pm. She has arranged with Mirani Shire Council to host an afternoon tea for seniors in the district, to be arranged by the youth group up there.

Mrs Howland also presented an honour posthumously to a dedicated volunteer of South Sea Islander descent. She also arranged for open days for senior citizens clubs to enable the general public to visit and learn what they are about. Lynn also arranged with the committee a morning tea for the members. She helped host a mystery bus trip and invited the prep grade children to visit during one of the mornings to have them entertain and sing and then have a game of indoor bowls before morning tea.

Mrs Lynn Howland has made other significant contributions, including being president of the National Seniors Australia Mackay Branch, which involves monthly meetings, lunches and bus trips. Lynn was president from 1998 to 2003 and has been again since 2005. She is also the zone 104 committee chairman for National Seniors Australia, which involves meetings and chairing conferences between Mackay in the south and Cairns in the north. She has held that position since 2002 and it also involves meetings in Brisbane.

So, as you can see, Mrs Lynn Howland has been extremely busy. She was also the Mackay Whitsunday representative on the Queensland Seniors Council from 2005 to 2007. In 2008 and 2009 she will be involved in meetings in Brisbane and local areas, workshops, planning meetings, a forum in Brisbane, interagency meetings in various towns and speaking by invitation to other groups and service providers. Lynn was a guest forum presenter at the Moranbah Ministerial Regional Community Forum. Mrs Lynn Howland is also a member of the Senior Safety working group in Mackay, which meets monthly. Lynn was a member of the Active Ageing working group in the Mackay and Mirannie area, which met monthly during 2006-07.

The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, came to Mackay and honoured Mrs Lynn Howland, who has been incredibly busy and has tirelessly worked as a volunteer for all of these aged-care groups. Indeed, she should be highly recognised. I am proud to know her. She did lobby me very hard when I went to the AGM of the 50 and Better group in Mackay. Even though I am not 50 until next May, she made me an honorary member. I thought that was very kind of her. With tears in her eyes, she grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes and said, ‘Please, James, tell Wayne Swan when you see him how grateful we are for the way that he is helping the elderly in this area.’ I told Wayne that and he was most grateful to hear that direct from Lynn.

It is expected that a number of the changes outlined in the bill we are talking about here will benefit care recipients and their families by, for example, strengthening the protection of bonds paid, streamlining assessment of care recipients and generally improving the framework designed to protect the health, welfare and other interests of care recipients. In recent years there has been significant growth in the value of accommodation bonds held by aged-care providers. As at 30 June 2007 around 970 approved providers—75 per cent of all approved providers—held accommodation bonds, with a total value of $6.3 billion. It is obviously extremely important in terms of consumer confidence and to maintain and increase the level of corporate investment in the sector that the regulatory framework that governs these financial arrangements is as robust and current as possible. In addition, feedback from the sector clearly reflects a level of dissatisfaction—

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