Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In moving this motion, the previous speaker, the member for Parramatta, referred to her frustration. I can understand and respect that, because an elected member of parliament who stands at the podium here or in the chamber does so because they seek to pursue the best interests of the community that they represent and, as part of that, to make sure that we are providing the support services to people when they are at the most vulnerable stages of life. That's what this government has been doing.

The frustration that I and others feel is that, after committing billions of dollars towards extra home care packages, as we have, including in the last budget, to make sure that all senior Australians at that vulnerable stage of life get the support and care they need, we come into this chamber and have an opposition member move a motion such as this, when at the last election she ran on a platform of providing exactly 0.0 dollars for extra home care packages in Australia. Let's think about that. This goes to an issue of trust. When it comes down to who Australians trust to provide the support and assistance they need, we know it isn't the opposition that Australians trust. This is not a partisan attack, but it is a criticism of the honesty that sits behind this debate.

We have done so much to reform aged care and provide the support and assistance that people need at different gradations of the health and wellbeing associated with their ageing. We've made sure that people are in a situation where there is sufficient funding to make sure that people can get aged-care places. That is particularly challenging because the number of people who are staying in their homes is growing, and they are staying there for longer periods. Those who are going into residential aged care need support at a more acute level, particularly around issues such as the rising rates of dementia.

One of the reasons that people are able to stay in their homes longer—it is not just out of wish or ambition—is that the taxpayer, through the Commonwealth, funds support services for them to be able do so. This government has invested $2.2 billion to address the waiting list for home care packages. No-one is trying to pretend that there isn't more work to be done. There is, because of the enormous and increasing number of people who are staying in their homes longer and who are in need of support. But the reality is that there is only one way that we can make sure that we meet that expectation and that challenge, and that is to have a strong economy so that we have the tax revenue to make sure that we can fund the ongoing services. That's the basis on which this government was elected and is meeting the aspirations of the Australian people.

If you compare that to the alternative approach, that of the opposition, of going to the election with 0.0 dollars of extra commitments, you start to see very clearly why some of us find motions such as this frustrating. We're investing an extra $150 million over three years from 2019-20 to expand Commonwealth Home Support Program packages in priority across Australia, and around 18,000 people are expected to benefit. And, of course, since the 2018-19 budget, the government has provided $2.2 billion, as I already mentioned, to release an additional 34,000 home care packages—34,000 more home care packages than those put forward by the mover of this motion.

It's about time we had an honest conversation about the challenges confronting Australia in aged care. It's part of the rich challenge that we face as part of an ageing population. The basis from which we start that conversation is actually being honest. That's the problem I have with this motion. For this mover to stand at the lectern and move this motion—when they offered nothing to the Australian people when they went to the election; perhaps that's one of the reasons why they now sit on the opposition benches—and to make political use of some of Australia's most vulnerable people without full acknowledgment of their lack of support and care for them, is something that, frankly, I find despicable. But that is their choice and they'll be judged accordingly for their conduct. I think what we should focus on as a parliament is continuing to bring people together to support the government's program and to support the home care packages that Australians so desperately need.

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