Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

Mayo is one of the oldest electorates in the country, with the median age hovering eight years above the national average. Almost one-third of the electorate is over 60 years of age. We are a wise group of people. For many of my constituents, finding an aged-care facility that meets their needs or the needs of their loved ones is an immediate and often daunting prospect. That is why I welcomed the government's announcement in March this year that Mayo would receive 221 additional residential aged-care beds through the 2018-19 Aged Care Approvals Round. To put this into context, Mayo received almost half of all the aged-care places allocated to South Australia in that round. The successful grants will enable the expansion of existing facilities in Uraidla, Aldgate, Mount Barker and Strathalbyn.

I have had the great privilege of visiting many of these facilities, and I know that both the community and the residents are excited about the prospect of new buildings and new facilities that reflect the staff's high standards of care and compassion. Perhaps even more important is the fact that these new beds will focus on dementia-appropriate care. Over 50 per cent of those living in aged-care facilities have dementia, and many of these people are living in facilities built several decades ago. In our regional areas many are 50 years old or older. This goes beyond mere aesthetics, as recent studies in dementia research from the University of Wollongong have discovered that particular aspects of the built environment have strong effects on the quality of life of dementia patients. Examples of some of these dementia-friendly care design principles include the creation of familiar spaces and providing links to the outside that allow people to see and be seen. Other factors, such as reducing the risk of falls and ensuring adequate lighting, can also be beneficial. I was equally excited to hear about the construction of a brand-new 75-bed facility on Hindmarsh Island, to be known as Coorong Quays aged care, which will be able to meet the ever-increasing demand for aged care faced across the southern part of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

While these facilities are under construction or renovation, the places allocated to the region are known as provisionally allocated places. The act provides that the provisional allocation can last up to four years; however, if the provider does not operationalise the place within four years they may seek a 12-month extension or surrender the place, and the department may revoke the provisionally allocated places. Alternatively, providers of residential aged care can apply to the department secretary to move provisionally allocated residential aged-care places from one region to another within a state or territory. Before the application is granted, the provider must demonstrate that it is to the benefit of the new region, does not disadvantage the old region, is financially viable and meets the population demand of the new region.

Following an allocation of places, providers can often have difficulties locating suitable land and navigating local government planning processes. For example, sometimes suitable land is located just outside a planning region, or local councils will independently determine that a planned 120-bed aged-care home should only have 100 beds. In such circumstances it may be appropriate to move the provisional places to another region. The department has carried on this practice for many years, but whether the act provides for the secretary always to do so was unclear. The bill will remove the uncertainty and ensure that places can be shifted from one region to another if the provider is able to do so.

Irrespective of where the aged-care facility is located, we need to ensure that we have the right mix of staff to provide the right levels of care to residents. I have long campaigned for the public disclosure of staffing levels within aged-care facilities. Last year a government led committee supported the passage of my private member's bill, and I look forward to continuing to work constructively on this issue with the new Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Minister Colbeck, in the coming months.

I would like to finish tonight by thanking everybody who works in aged care: the nurses, the cooks, the cleaners, the personal care workers, the grounds people. I know from my travels across my electorate and the time I spend in my aged-care facilities that staff go above and beyond the call of duty and care very deeply for the people living in their aged-care homes.

Debate interrupted.

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