Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Morrison-Joyce government is dedicated to meeting the needs of our ageing population by undertaking the necessary and imperative reforms in aged care. The coalition government is acting to ensure that we are implementing these measures to develop and safeguard aged care in Australia. We not only look to tomorrow but we also look to five years from now and further ahead to 20 years and beyond. It is important that aged care in Australia is of the highest standard not just for now but also for my children and my grandchildren. This reform, the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021, seeks to do just that.

Throughout my time serving as the member for Mallee I have always strived towards an Australia where the health status of our citizens is not determined by their postcode. This should also include our aged-care services. As the representative of some of the most rural constituents in Victoria, I have seen the challenges that face our older population. Many aged-care services in Mallee are stretched and under-resourced. As we get older, our health have raptly deteriorate and we cannot always plan for these things. In regional areas, too many are placed on lengthy waiting lists to receive essential services, including home care packages. Delays such as these are unacceptably part of our aged care in regional and rural Australia.

Another issue experienced in regional Australia is workforce shortage. This issue is not uncommon in most industries in Mallee and aged care is no different. Aged-care employers in my electorate do not have the luxury of a plethora of people lining up for job vacancies. The recent introduction of COVID vaccine requirements for employment in the aged-care industry have also created and additional strain on employers looking to recruit people to regional and remote areas, such as Cohuna, Horsham, Maryborough, Mildura and Warracknabeal.

The great news is that Australia's personal care workforce is being strengthened and increased under a $91.8 million Morrison-Joyce government initiative, helping older people live at home for longer. The government is committed to ensuring older Australians can remain in their homes and in the communities they know and love for as long as possible. In another comprehensive response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Home Care Workforce Support Program will help administrators attract, train and retain approximately 13,000 new personal care workers by mid 2023. This is good news for Mallee. Making sure we have enough carers with the right skills to provide these services is vital as we expand the number of care packages and wipe out our waiting lists. Our reforms will ensure all senior Australians can access the care they want and need when they need it.

Under the legislation that is before the House, regional services will be allocated additional funding support to address the disadvantage of rurality. The new funding model will offer subsidies in accordance with the recipients AN-ACC level as well as the characteristics of the aged-care service. One of the notable characteristics would include service providers in regional locations. I support this reform and welcome the reprieve that it will bring for many rural and regional facilities in my electorate of Mallee. This implementation will provide peace of mind for residents in Mallee who, in the future, will utilise the aged-care services. These people can have added assurance that local service providers are resourced to be able to help keep up with the need for aged-care services. I have spoken with local leaders in aged-care services in my electorate and they have echoed this sentiment.

Princes Court is an aged-care facility and assisted living provider in Mildura, in the north of my electorate. I have worked with their chair Lyn Heaysman and CEO Jenny Garonne to address their concerns and advocate for this funding. Jenny and Lyn have told me of the challenges that regional communities face in providing aged-care services. Higher acuity residents are coming into aged care at a later stage and presenting with greater needs. This reality challenges facilities.

Debate interrupted.

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