Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's no wonder that Australians find themselves disillusioned with politics and with this parliament when you listen to contributions like that. The lack of home care packages is an issue which is affecting tens of thousands of Australians and their families each and every day. They expect and demand better of this place than to come in here and hear nothing but politicking and blame shifting. Let's be really clear about this. Rather than just standing up and reading some government lines about what Labor did, why doesn't the government stand up and concede that it has been in office for five years? The people want solutions, the people want actions and the people want policies which will set this straight. They don't want people looking back to the history books and trying to find a way to make it Labor's problem. The Abbott-Turnbull government has been there for five years, and this has occurred and got worse and worse and worse under its watch.

There are lots of issues that we debate in this parliament, but there are few which affect the dignity of older Australians more than this issue, and it should be treated with absolute importance. It breaks my heart, as a mother of two young children, when they ask for my help with something and I can't assist for some reason. But I'll tell you one thing that would be even more heartbreaking than not being able to deliver for your children, and that is not being able to assist your parents—who have looked after you, raised you and supported you throughout your whole life, who have made sacrifices for you and who stand there proud yet vulnerable in their older years—when they come to you for help, because, even when they are assessed as needing extra assistance, the government won't provide it. That is the situation that we're hearing from tens of our constituents, coming to each and every one of our offices, saying, 'Can you please help me?' or 'Can you please help me to help my parents?' Every one of us has heard those stories. That's why we raise this here today—not because we want to engage in politicking and buck-passing with those opposite, but because we are pleading with the government to stand up and fix this issue. The government itself knows how absolutely shameful this situation has become. That's why it snuck this data out after parliament had risen last year. It is an absolute disgrace that more than 100,000 older Australians are in limbo, waiting for the care which they need and deserve. It is, quite frankly, unacceptable.

One of my constituents, Trude, came to see me to talk to me about her 93-year-old grandmother, who, I must say, has been an absolute champion of our local community. She has contributed so much over so many decades, but she now needs us—this parliament and particularly this government—to stand up and give something back. Irene, who is 93 years old, has been assessed for level 4 care, yet, despite this, she is still receiving level 2 care six months after the assessment. We know that Irene has permanent physical issues which she will need to deal with. She's very stooped and her family are really concerned about her falling over. Irene is a very proud woman, and she wants to stay in her home. She knows that she can stay in her home, but she needs assistance to be able to do that. Her family want to support her to do that but are terrified that Irene could fall and hurt herself. The difference in the level of support between a level 2 package and a level 4 package could make a huge difference for Irene and the type of support she could have to remain in her own home; or whether she would be faced with no choice but to have to move into an aged-care facility, which is not what she wants and not what she needs if she gets the right assistance.

I note that the minister said there were financial considerations as to how many of these packages were available. Let's talk about that. If you want to put aside human dignity and doing the right thing by older Australians, who have worked so hard to build this nation, if you want to just look at it in terms of dollars and cents, consider this: it is smarter and cheaper for the federal budget to support people in their own homes than to pay for aged-care facilities. I urge the government to fix it. (Time expired)

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