Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Two weeks ago, the Treasurer announced a further investment of $531 million into home-care packages, providing an additional 24,000 home-care packages, bringing the number of people that will be supported by home care to a record 300,000. The member for Casey's assertion that the Albanese government has funded only 9½ thousand home-care packages is incorrect. The premise that we are not doing enough is misguided and couldn't be further from the truth. It is incorrect. When the Liberal government was in power, waitlists were double what they are now. The system was broken. However, the Albanese government has been working hard to fix the system that we inherited, because Labor cares about older Australians. We are continuing to consult with older people, their families and aged-care providers and workers across the sector to ensure the system meets older people's needs and improves the standard of aged care. The new Aged Care Act will focus on providing dignity and respect to older Australians. It is based on meeting the rights of older people and putting older people at the centre of aged care.

The new act responds to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the taskforce report. The investment will continue the work we have delivered to date to reduce home-care waiting times and support more Australians to access in-home aged care and live where they want to live. Older Australians will also benefit from a newly established support at home program. This program will be implemented thanks to the investment of $174 million for ICT infrastructure and includes a single assessment system. This system will make access to aged care simpler and more streamlined for older Australians. In addition to this, $111 million has been invested over four years into the new aged-care regulatory framework. A stronger regulatory framework will protect older people accessing aged-care services and ensure high-quality, timely and safe care.

To provide quality and timely services to the elderly, we are committed to growing the workforce to meet the demands of Australia's ageing population. The government has committed to investing $88 million over four years to continue to attract and retain the aged-care workforce. In addition to this, the provision of free-fee TAFE gives those that wish to work in the sector the opportunity to access qualifications and secure jobs for free. This is further supported by an increase in wages for aged-care workers. In 2022, the Labor government introduced a 15 per cent pay rise, and that has been implemented. Improving staffing solutions will create better conditions for the aged-care workforce and grow the home-care workforce in regional, rural and remote areas.

The Albanese Labor government cares about older Australians and the people that work in the sector. The comprehensive measures and funding announced by this government will ensure that those that need access to timely, quality services and care will receive them when they need them.

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