Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I've got my speech in front of me but, if I can first just say, I am very upset by the complete dissociation of this government from any responsibility for what's happened in the aged-care system. They've been in power for over eight years. I was part of the standing committee that did an inquiry into aged care starting in 2016, which amply demonstrated the terrible neglect that was happening in aged care and the exploitation of people involved in the aged-care system, including residents in residential aged care and staff in aged-care facilities. So it is pretty disgraceful that this government walks away from any responsibility for what has happened. The government had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety after many reports—after our report, after the aged-care workforce strategy report and after some terrible exposes on Four Corners. For the government to say they have no responsibility for what's happened is disgraceful.

These issues were before the pandemic; they have been magnified by the pandemic. But going back to 2016 and 2018, I spoke about the neglect that was happening in aged care in this House, as did many others, about how the Turnbull government had failed to deliver on home-care packages and people were dying before they could get access to home care, about the terrible neglect that was happening in some aged-care facilities while private profiteers—that's all you could call them—were reaping billions of dollars from the system. For those opposite to say 'nothing to do with us' is disgraceful and they should own up and take responsibility.

The final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety cannot be ignored by this government; they know that now. But they are reluctant to make any meaningful changes. There were 148 recommendations of the aged care royal commission final report, but I would like to focus on what I think are the three main issues.

Firstly, we must have an independent regulatory system. The aged-care system did have regulators in place by both the government and by private industry and they monumentally failed, demonstrably. For the initial report of the aged-care royal commission to be titled being entitled 'Neglect', surely there's a message there. The regulators failed in their duty to the Australian community, and the government failed in its duty to older Australians, so we must have an independent regulator. Clearly, the present regulatory system has failed.

Secondly, we need to urgently increase the number of staff in residential aged care. We know that, in many places, in fact, the majority of places, residents were malnourished. They weren't given access to adequate pain relief, dementia care or physical care. Yet we allowed the administrators of these homes to reduce staff and increase profits at the same time as older Australians were suffering. The staff did the very best they could, and I am very grateful to all those that work in aged care for the work that they have done. I know how exhausting it is to provide personal care to people on a 24-hour basis. They're exhausted and they're stretched to their limits. They're crushed at the end of their shifts. Many work overtime, some unpaid. Aged-care workers deserve to be treated better.

Lastly, they also need to be given appropriate training, because with appropriate training comes better care, better pay and better wages. We must make sure that our aged-care workers are looked after and want to stay in the industry because, at the present time, many are leaving the industry because they are exhausted and they feel that they are not listened to. The blatant disrespect and lack of humanity demonstrated by this government to aged-care residents and their staff is disgraceful. I repeat: it needs to change. The government needs to change its philosophy, needs to act urgently and needs to stand up for our older Australians because, at the present time, many people are reluctant to even consider residential aged care for their family members because of the blatant lack of care and neglect. (Time expired)

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