Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

) ( ): Can I say from the outset how proud I am to be standing here, on this side of the chamber, as a member of the Albanese Labor government. During the 2022 federal election, Labor took strong aged-care policies to the people that would ensure we are able to support our older Australians. The people gave us a mandate, and we are wasting no time in fulfilling it.

Labor understands the need to reform the aged-care sector. The royal commission into aged care provided a sobering insight into the flaws in the aged-care system, flaws that had been allowed to continue for far too long. Too many older Australians have been suffering due to issues in the aged-care system, a lack of care and attention by people who are charged with providing care and support, and a lack of standards and accountability to prevent the lack of care we have witnessed and, sadly, our older Australians have experienced all too often.

The report acknowledged neglect in a system where it should not exist. It uncovered severe problems that need response from a strong government, and that's what we are providing. Labor is that government. We are working as quickly as we can, with the aged-care sector, to rectify the issues that have been identified and to fulfil the recommendations of the final report of the royal commission into aged care.

The passage of this bill will ensure the implementation of several important and urgent aged-care reforms. These reforms were pledged by Labor at the 2022 federal election, and, as I said, the Albanese Labor government is wasting no time in delivering on the promises it made to the Australian people. Importantly, this bill responds to key recommendations of the royal commission's final report, recommendations which this government is committed to adhering to, to ensure a better, safer and more fair aged-care sector.

The bill will lift care and quality standards in aged care and, importantly, will create the mandatory standard to have a registered nurse on site at all times in residential aged-care facilities. This was a core recommendation of the commission report, a core pledge from Labor at the election, and, as a government, we are delivering on this pledge. The significance of this change cannot be overstated. This will immensely improve health outcomes in aged-care facilities. A 24/7 RN presence in our aged-care homes means more people can receive qualified medical assistance when they need it no matter what time of the day or night that support is needed. It will save thousands upon thousands of stressful, expensive and often unnecessary trips to hospital and emergency departments, ensuring that there is less pressure on our hospitals and that older Australians are able to get support when they need it and, critically, where they live.

I note concerns have been shared with me about the ability to recruit and retain RNs, particularly in the regions. The Albanese Labor government, through the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, will work with providers to ensure they are able to meet this obligation. The government has established a wide range of programs to attract and retain nursing staff to aged-care homes. This includes 1,300 transition-to-practise programs for nursing graduates, 1,900 scholarships, support for 5,250 clinical placements and an annual retention payment of up to $6,000. The government is working to address the issues that we currently face, and the issues that we may face into the future.

I must note also that this bill will provide a mechanism in extenuating circumstances for an exemption framework to apply, which will be further specified in consultation with experts and the aged-care sector. This exemption, in extraordinary circumstances, is particularly important for facilities in rural and regional Australia, like in my electorate, that are justifiably concerned about obtaining and retaining staff. The last thing they want to do is to fall foul of the new standards and the new law, but this government will work with them to meet the requirements they need to. We won't leave them behind.

The bill will also place a cap on the amount that home-care providers can charge for administration and management, as well as prevent providers being able to charge exit fees for their services. Time after time, I've spoken with constituents in my electorate who have provided me with bills from their aged-care provider that include absolutely huge administrative fees that are completely out of touch with the care that they are provided with but that's incorporated into those bills. It's completely out of whack. No sensible person could look at those invoices and think this makes any sense at all.

The rorting of the system is affecting older Australians who are trying to remain in their homes for longer, and it is limiting the services that they can achieve from the home-care package system. The government is about giving power to the people and ending the rorts and extortions that we saw far too often under the previous government. Labor is ensuring that home-care packages are able to be used to their maximum, to support people at home and enable them to remain in their homes for as long as they can. Home-care packages should not be sucked up by unnecessary and overbearing administrative fees. This change that is about ensuring bang for buck and service being delivered under those packages. This bill ensures that happens. It makes another strong commitment from the federal election into a reality.

Finally, this bill will fulfil the desire that all Australians want more of: transparency and accountability. This government pledged to the people that, if elected, we would be a more transparent and accountable government, and we are. We pledged to implement a federal anti-corruption commission. We heard from the Attorney-General today that that will be next week. That will ensure transparency and accountability; we are doing that. And we pledge more accountability and transparency in aged care.

The Albanese Labor government is today delivering on this pledge with the passage of this bill. This bill will require the department secretary to publish certain information about aged-care providers and their services. This will improve transparency by ensuring information is available to the public on how much providers are spending on care, nursing, food, maintenance, cleaning, administration, and how much profit they're making. This will help rebuild trust in the sector and ensure that providers are publicly held to account for the funds they spend on caring for their residents.

This bill also ensures that those living in rural and regional aged-care facilities are not left behind. People in our regions—like those in my electorate of Lyons—deserve the same standard of care as those living in aged-care facilities in our major cities.

In my electorate, I have been meeting with aged-care providers about Labor's plan for the aged-care system and what the changes might mean for them. From the outset I must say: I'm incredibly proud of the level of care that is being given across the board to aged-care residents in my electorate. Most of the providers in Lyons are community based, with volunteer boards. They're not-for-profit providers who pride themselves on offering a high level of care to their residents and ensuring a safe and enjoyable workplace for staff. They have an enviable record for staff retention and for care of residents. They have a high reputation in their community and they're well-sought-after places to live. These aged-care facilities will often go the extra mile for residents, families and staff alike, and they do not hesitate to forgo higher returns if it means a higher quality of care can be achieved. I'm pleased to say that none of the aged-care homes in my electorate were named in the royal commission—none of them were named. So the royal commission isn't targeting them.

But of course the new compliance measures that we're introducing will have an effect on them because they increase their costs. I'm dealing with the aged-care minister and her office at the moment about that, because we all want to make sure that compliance is stringent—we absolutely back that in—but we don't want to see the good providers being unnecessarily burdened when of course the target is those who have not been providing the appropriate level of care over the years.

The staff of the providers in my electorate work hard, and they're dedicated to their jobs and the residents of their facilities. It's quite opportune that I'm standing here this afternoon on the national aged-care workers' day, and I shout out to all those aged-care workers—many of them women; many of them in their 30s, 40s and 50s, and doing very physical work—who are absolutely dedicated to their residents and workplaces. I give a big shout-out to them. But of course, this government is also committed to not just thanking them but making sure that they get the pay they deserve, because they do extremely hard work for relatively low pay. And we are going to back in a wage case for them soon.

I acknowledge the work of aged-care facilities in my electorate, such as Medea Park in St Helens, Toosey in Longford, Kanangra and Grenoch in Deloraine, and of course Corumbene in New Norfolk, as well as a few others. They all go above and beyond for their residents. They are well-respected institutions within their local communities. They have the respect of the people, and, in turn, they show respect to their people. It's a good model of care. I'd love to see it rolled out across the country.

Over the past month, I've been meeting the CEOs, board members and staff at each of these facilities, talking to them about the challenges they face and the changes that are being implemented by the government. From the outset, Labor has been committed to working with the aged-care sector to ensure that the changes that are implemented in this place, and through the recommendations of the aged-care royal commission, can be achieved, and that no facility is left behind and no good facility, no good provider, is unfairly or adversely impacted.

Aged-care facilities in Lyons have done it tough, especially over the past few years of COVID. They've borne the brunt of the increased costs, of immense changes to circumstances and of staffing insecurity and lockdowns, as the pandemic continued to take its toll. They have been weathering the storm, however, and I remain committed to them—to fighting in their corner with them and working with them, to ensure that they can succeed in our joint aim of providing world-class care for our older Australians.

I do not pretend for a second that challenges do not lie ahead. Change always brings challenges. Aged-care providers in my electorate have shared their views with me, on Labor's reforms; their anxieties, as to the varying levels of change and what it may mean for them; and their thoughts on how government can best work with them to ensure that the recommendations of the royal commission are fulfilled and that providers can continue to provide the best possible care for our loved ones. And we have a shared, joint vision about that: that at the heart of everything we do is the welfare and care of people who live in these facilities.

The Albanese Labor government will keep having these important conversations and working with aged-care facilities to ensure that the changes to the sector are implemented efficiently, effectively and fairly. It's a big job but one that we are up for, and, I know, one that will be well-orchestrated by our very dedicated new Minister for Aged Care, Minister Wells.

This bill before the House today is a keystone in Labor's plan to fix the aged-care system. It ensures that some of the most significant changes to the aged-care structure can be implemented, thereby adhering to the recommendations of the aged-care royal commission and ensuring that Labor uphold the commitments we made to the people at the election. Importantly, this bill has been brought forward in communication with the aged-care sector. The requirement for 24/7 RN staffing will not come into effect until 1 July 2023 so facilities have time to make the appropriate staffing and budgetary changes and prepare for this significant change. Labor is assisting the aged-care sector with this change and ensuring that our older Australians living in aged-care homes are given the respect, dignity and care that they deserve so that we can put behind us that word 'neglect' and hope it ever again surfaces with respect to aged care. I commend the bill to the House.

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