Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the member for Macquarie's motion and to inform her of the swift action taken by the Morrison government in response to the Interim report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. A society is measured by how it cares for its most vulnerable. The aged-care royal commission interim report highlighted that Australia needs to do better to respond to our rapidly ageing population and its impact on aged-care services. We are not shying away from our responsibility as a government or as a society for ensuring our elderly are well looked after and respected, with our swift and immediate response to the royal commission's interim report.

The royal commission identified three major areas that need urgent action. The first is to increase the number of home care packages. The home care package is one of the best ways we can help older Australians struggling with age-related issues to stay at home longer. This is what older Australians—including those in Higgins—want, have asked for and deserve. To deal with the triple complexity of people living longer, with more chronic health conditions, and wanting to stay in their homes longer, the Morrison government has committed $496 million for an additional 10,000 home care packages. These packages will focus on the high-level care packages, levels 3 and 4, which provide the highest levels of support for those most in need. These changes will ease the wait time for home care packages, meaning older Australians will receive the care they need when they need it, giving their family members peace of mind.

The royal commission also identified an overreliance on chemical restraint in aged care. $25 million will be allocated to improve medical management programs and to introduce safeguards and restrictions on the overprescribing of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines for aged-care patients. The government is seeking to reduce the incidence of repeat prescriptions of chemical restraints by providing an additional $10 million to increase dementia training and support for aged-care workers.

The prevalence of younger people being placed in residential aged care is too high. Currently there are approximately 5,600 young people living in aged care. Many aged-care facilities are not designed to meet the needs of young people living with a disability. Young people placed in aged care are isolated from people of their own age, are unable to participate in age-appropriate activities and are being cared for by people not specifically trained in helping young people living with a severe disability. This occurrence can be very distressing, not only for younger clients but also for their family, who already feel the burden and guilt of not being able to look after their loved ones at home. In response to the royal commission, the government has set incremental targets that will see no person under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by 2025. It will take time to build the infrastructure and resources to do this, but we are committed.

Often the transition into aged care or into not living entirely independently is a distressing time for those in need and they need to have a little bit of help. Streamlining the process will mean older Australians are connected to care sooner. This will reduce inefficiencies and end the never-ending assessments for programs from multiple organisations by creating a single assessment workforce.

Every Australian has the right to age well and with dignity. Our older generations have fought to defend our democracy and worked hard to build the Australia we see today, and they contribute an immeasurable amount to their community. It is up to the next generation—and our government—to ensure older Australians are well cared-for and live out their days comfortably. We all want to age well. After all, it's better than the alternative.

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