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

I thank the member for Indi for moving this motion and providing the opportunity to speak on a topic I care deeply about. To achieve the required outcomes in the aged-care sector is not an easy feat. It's something that the Morrison government is not shying from—quite the opposite. There is good reason that one of the Prime Minister's first acts in his role was to call for a royal commission into aged care. He said he believed we owed a duty of care to every older Australian to ensure they have respect and quality care. This is something I'm proud of and something I know that we as a government are committed to delivering on.

After 10,000 public submissions and 23 public hearings with 641 witnesses over 99 days, the 148 recommendations made in the final report are the product of considered scrutiny of Australia's aged-care system. The Morrison government recognises the importance of these recommendations and will act to fulfil the recommendations to give our older Australians the dignity they deserve after a lifetime of service to our country.

Our comprehensive response to the royal commission final report is driven by the principles of respect and care through the lens of five broad pillars: firstly, supporting older Australians who choose to access home care—Australians tell us they want to age at home, and we back that in; secondly, that quality and safety in residential aged care delivers dignity alongside care—something we need to ensure; thirdly, investing to drive improvements in residential aged-care services and sustainability, which will involve providers partnering with the community and government to deliver this; fourthly, that growing a passionate and skilled aged-care workforce is absolutely essential—this will be constrained in the time of COVID and it will ensure a laser-like focus; and, fifthly, governance—we need oversight standards and accountability. This is a new era that has already commenced in this parliament, with many of these already starting to have legislation around them.

The Morrison government cares for the dignity of Australians as they age, with $630 million invested to improve the supply, diversity and affordability of aged care across rural and regional Australia, in recognition of the contribution they have made to our country. The government has already guaranteed additional funding to support services to meet the royal commission's recommended minimum 200-minute care time standard and to have a registered nurse on site for 16 hours per day.

Importantly, the Morrison government has announced there will be a $29 million investment in allowing allied health professionals to train in rural and regional areas as well as upgrading older diagnostic imaging equipment. We understand there are issues of workforce in rural and regional Australia, and it is something we are working hard on. I commend the member for Indi on raising this incredibly important issue. This will provide benefit to at least 80 medical practices and is crucial in working towards the full achievement of recommendation 86—and not only this; it will also improve skilled workforce training, as the member for Indi has called for.

The member for Indi has also called for the government to lower the wait times for home-care packages. The member will be pleased to know the government will provide an additional $6.5 billion to release 80,000 additional home-care packages over the next three years. This is massive. This is no small fry; $6.5 billion is an incredibly important record investment in this area, for what we need for all our futures. The member will be pleased to know we are also increasing investment in the workforce through additional training and care minutes. The Morrison government is confident that home-care packages will be allocated and taken up by Australians faster.

This funding also includes $370 million for aged-care providers to improve buildings and expand into underserviced regions. The Morrison government foresees about 1,400 construction jobs being created and, pivotally, benefit for 471,000 senior Australians in remote and rural areas. This is key. Moreover, $35 million will be allocated over the coming four years to allow these remote and rural aged-care providers to access additional temporary and permanent workforce as well as incentivise the retention of current permanent staff—again, a critical investment. In addition, $13 million has been invested to ensure that Australians in regional areas can access offices for aged-care support.

The Morrison government is committed to getting the response right so that all Australians can age with dignity and respect. They deserve it.

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