Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the latest Government report indicates more than 129,000 older Australians are waiting for their approved home care package;

(b) more than 75,000 older Australians on the waiting list have no home care package at all; and

(c) since 2017 the wait list for home care has grown from 88,000 to more than 129,000 older Australians;

(2) recognises:

(a) the majority of older Australians are waiting for level three and level four packages, who have high care needs;

(b) some older Australians have been waiting more than two years for their approved package; and

(c) older Australians are entering residential aged care or even emergency departments instead of receiving their approved home care package;

(3) condemns the Government for failing to stop the wait list growing; and

(4) calls on the Government to immediately fix the home care packages waiting list and properly address this growing crisis.

There is a crisis in home care for older Australians. It is caused by government's neglect or incompetence or indifference. Mary in my electorate was a victim of the current government's failure. Mary suffered Parkinson's disease for about 20 years. In early 2017 she had a fall and was hospitalised. In order for Mary to be able to go home, she needed assistance at home. She was approved for a level 4 home care package and put on the waiting list. What should have been a solution became a nightmare for Mary and her family. There are four levels of home care, with level 1 being the lightest and level 4 being for people in the greatest need. Mary needed real care at home. There was a lack of service availability for level 4 packages around her area, so she couldn't get one straightaway. One of her daughters gave up full-time work to become Mary's carer. They waited and waited and waited. Her two daughters pleaded and argued with anyone who would listen. Finally, Mary was granted an interim level 2 package in early 2019, two years after she was put on the waiting list for level 4. It took two years for Mary to receive an interim level 2 package. In recent months she has been granted an interim level 3 package, there is but still no sign of a level 4, which was promised over two years ago. My office made representations to My Aged Care about service availability for Mary and I was told there was a nine to12 month waiting period for level 4 packages, which stems from a lack of funding. That's bad enough, but the reality for Mary was much worse—more than twice that.

Mary passed away last week, still without receiving her level 4 package. Her story is not unique, far from it. Mary is one of nearly 130,000 older Australians on the waiting list. Older Australians without any home care package total over 75,000. Those with an interim package, like Mary, waiting for the appropriate level of care, are just over 53,000 people. In the latest available figures, in the first quarter of this year in Western Sydney the Morrison government released 757 home care packages. In an environment of growing need and unacceptable delays, that is 20 per cent less than in the same quarter last year. In Western Sydney there are still 1,591 people waiting for their home care packages and 243 people, real people with real need, waiting for level 4. If you look at the potential demand in my electorate of Parramatta alone, there are 12,600 people over the age of 70. That demand will only grow as our community gets older and really needs to be able to age at home. The aged care system that we have, the aged care reforms, were meant to give older Australians the choice to age at home, something incredibly important for so many of my diverse communities who, culturally, see their parents going into aged care facilities. The need to keep their parents at home is absolutely central.

Once again, in spite of an ageing population and growing crisis, aged care is locked out of the cabinet. There have now been four different ministers responsible for aged care since the Liberals were elected. In January the Productivity Commission released the median wait time for home care packages. It has blown out in the last year by more than two months. As that list grows longer, we hear fresh stories every day of older Australians waiting for care. Since 2017 the wait list for home care packages has grown from 88,000 to more than 129,000 older Australians. During that period of time when Mary was on the waiting list it grew from 88,000 to 129,000. One can assume she was never going to get to front of the queue on that basis.

Older Australians are waiting for level 3 and 4 packages in great numbers. In fact, the majority of people waiting for packages are waiting for level 3 and 4; they are in great need. Many of them have been waiting for more than two years for their approved packages. Older Australians are entering residential aged care or even emergency departments instead of receiving their approved home care package. Again, imagine Mary's circumstances if her daughter hadn't been able to give up full-time work and care for her? Mary would have been in an aged care facility or an emergency department.

I condemn the government for failing to stop the waiting lists growing. I condemn the government for not acting as they should and solving what is a national crisis. I call on the government to immediately fix the home care packages waiting list and properly address this growing crisis.

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