Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Not many issues have had bipartisan support in the 47th Parliament, but I'm glad that this essential reform to our failing aged-care system has support from both sides of the floor and the crossbench. Ageing is a privilege but can also be a burden. Our older Australians deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and clarity, which is why the royal commission into aged care made it so clear that the new aged care act should have a rights based approach, with a focus on people.

An effective aged-care system will not only give older people improved quality of life, with access to medical care, social opportunities and community engagement; it will also help families manage the added challenges of an ageing loved one and provide peace of mind that their family member is supported and safe. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established in 2018 in response to damning incidents of neglect, abuse and negligence in nursing homes across the country. The final report, with 148 recommendations, was handed down in February 2021 and looked at whether aged-care services were meeting the needs of the community. The royal commission found the community expected certain central themes from the aged-care system: dignity and respect, control and choice, the importance of relationships and connections to communities, and the desire for a good quality of life and ageing at home.

A key recommendation of the commission was the development of a new act, and I'm glad to see the government delivering on that recommendation. A simplified aged-care system is beneficial for all, and it's a welcome change to have one piece of legislation and a single set of subordinate legislation called the rules. I note that the rules are currently in consultation phase and haven't been finalised, and this means that we don't yet have a confirmed outline of how the Aged Care Bill 2024 will actually be implemented. Given there are more than 600 references to the new rules in this bill, which means there are more than 600 times that we're being asked to assume the consultation draft will be adequate, the passing of the rules is a very big part of this legislation. It includes important parts of the system change, like the Aged Care Code of Conduct and the Aged Care Quality Standards, audit requirements, dealing with complaints, and conditions of registration. There were a number of changes made after consultation on the draft that have made it easier to support this bill—for example, the statement of rights was made stronger with the inclusion of 'must', the independence of the complaints commission was strengthened, and criminal penalties for service provider boards were removed.

My office receives a large number of emails in relation to aged-care services, both as case work and in response to policy announcements. In fact, given the volume of queries we have from constituents about the supports available to them or their parents, we put out a Curtin seniors guide to help people navigate the aged-care system and Centrelink. This has been a very popular resource, with more than 1,500 distributed to people across Curtin. If constituents would like one, they can pick up a hard copy from my office or download it from the website.

After the exposure draft of the new Aged Care Bill was released last year, I held a community forum and invited participants to come and discuss what they thought was important to include in a new aged care act. We had a room full of interested people. First we heard from Mark Kinsela from the Council on the Ageing WA about aspects of the act such as the statement of rights, the complaints process, the new access pathway and the enhanced choice and control for consumers. And then we ran a workshop so people could share their concerns and what they liked about the new approach. I want to thank everyone who participated in that workshop and contributed their views, which were captured in our Curtin community submission on the Aged Care Bill exposure draft. I found that people in my electorate were chiefly concerned with the humanity of the system. They wanted people to be treated as individuals with connections to their communities which continue into later life. They also wanted to have self-direction as they got older, with the ability to choose their preferred living arrangements and the manner of their death. That is why I'm happy to support this bill, with a few caveats.

At the outset, I want to state what may be seen as the obvious: people are worried about how these changes to the aged-care system will affect them personally. We get so many calls and emails from constituents who are struggling to navigate the current aged-care system, and they're really worried that they'll be expected to navigate something new. That is why this reform must be simple, accessible and user-friendly, and it must be responsive to need. The current system is not supplying support when it's required—for example, one constituent, 93-year-old Mabel, was assessed and granted a level 3 home-care package in July last year and waited until this July for her service to begin. It's hard to comprehend how support for a 93-year-old is not urgent.

I know that the Minister for Aged Care has the best of intentions that this new aged-care scheme will streamline a broken system, and I want to emphasise the importance of clearly communicating the changes to all older Australians and their loved ones. I appreciate a recent speech where the minister said, 'I hear your feedback that reform cannot just happen to you, and that you need to be brought along the journey.' I will be representing my community to make sure this promise is enacted.

I think the definition of clinical care, which will be paid for by the government, and independent care and everyday living, which the client will pay part of, depending on assets, is an important distinction that may not be clearly understood. Change is difficult at the best of times, and, when it's changing how people are planning to age or care for their ageing family members, individuals really need to know how they will be affected. I appreciate the comprehensive website explainers about the new legislation and hope there'll be ongoing community engagement as the new reforms roll out.

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