Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Bennelong for his question about the important subject of aged care—in particular, aged-care residential facilities. I would just like to provide the House with a demonstration of our investment in this important policy area. This year, it is estimated that Commonwealth funding in residential aged care will be about $65,000 per resident. This year, aged-care spending is estimated at $17½ billion—that is actually 20 per cent higher than it was in Labor's last budget, at least. Since June 2015, there has been an increase of about 3½ thousand operational residential aged-care places. Aged-care spending is increasing by an average of 6.7 per cent a year. With this ageing population and a figure that is only going to grow, it is important that we have adequate facilities to support Australians who need residential care and the ability for those Australians to access that care as soon as possible.

New facilities are being built around the country. In many cases it is a partnership with government capital investment and investment from the private sector. Unfortunately, the sites for these much-needed facilities are not immune to union thuggery that all construction sites face. I have an example which was reported in The Age in April this year: The Age reported that, on an aged-care construction site in Templestowe, Victoria, up to 30 workers simply walked off the job, just like that. The company allegedly told the CFMEU officer present, 'What you have done is illegal, and I am going to have to report you,' to which the CFMEU officer allegedly responded, 'I know it's illegal, but I had to do it.' This is so wrong on so many levels. It just goes to show that the unions that are holding our construction sites to ransom can do these things just because they feel like it. We are committed to restoring law and order—

Ms Collins interjecting—

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