Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Shortland for the question. This morning I introduced five bills to round out the implementation of the $3.7 billion aged-care reform package Living Longer, Living Better. This legislation has been the subject of very detailed consultation with the sector and follows the delivery of a range of other commitments in the package: the design and release of new home care packages, consumer directed packages advertised last year and ready for delivery after 1 July this year; a determination by the new Aged Care Financing Authority about how providers will qualify for increased accommodation payments under this government's package and for a fairer and more transparent system of accommodation charging for consumers; the release and design of programs for increased dementia support; and better linkages between the aged-care system and our health system.

Last week, I announced arrangements to begin to lift the wages of aged-care workers. We will need to triple the number of aged-care workers in this country over the next few decades, yet even today we struggle to recruit and to retain workers that we need.

Mr Tony Smith interjecting—

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