Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Aged Care Bill 2024. It is important that we recognise that aged care is not merely a sector; it reflects on how we value and care for our elders, as a society.

Aged care across this country and especially in Central Queensland is, quite frankly, at breaking point. Whether it's getting a loved one such as a mother or father or a grandmother or grandfather into an aged-care facility or trying to get through the mountains of bureaucracy when applying for a home-care package, it's really a nightmare for many Australians. Data has shown us that some of the most vulnerable older Australians are waiting as long as an entire year to get a home-care package. Wait times for level 3 packages have blown out from nine to 12 months, while the wait times for level 4 packages have risen from six months to nine month.

Last year, Carinity Summit Cottages, an aged-care facility in Mount Morgan in my electorate of Flynn, closed. They advised that the ongoing nationwide shortage of aged-care staff, combined with Mount Morgan's regional location, made staffing the facility incredibly difficult. Given the national care workforce shortage and the increased difficulty of recruiting staff, the only viable option for Carinity cottages was to close.

It is clear that the current aged-care model is not working and significant changes need to be made that will not affect communities in rural and regional Australia. The coalition provided a clear offer to work with the government on sensible aged-care policies, because we need a system that is strong and sustainable to support future generations.

Since calling for and responding to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the coalition has remained resolute in advocating for the dignity and clarity that older Australians deserve. This legislation delivers on the first recommendation of the royal commission, appointed by the coalition, to implement a new rights based aged-care act.

In response to the royal commission, the former coalition government provided more than $18 billion in funding to support the immediate sector needs. Through good faith negotiations, the coalition has sought to ensure that many reforms provide dignity and clarity for older Australians, and we have held the government to account to finally introduce their package of reform and bring all Australians into this important conversation.

The issue before our aged-care system is undeniable. With more than half of aged care homes across the country operating at a loss, an aging population and a desire for people to age at home, the way that aged care is delivered and supported needs to change.

This bill represents a significant package of reforms, which is why we pushed to have the bill immediately referred to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry. We have valued the opportunity, through this open and transparent Senate inquiry process, to finally have an open conversation with older Australians and the aged-care sector about the government's proposed reforms. Now that the committee has delivered its final report, we are considering its findings and recommendations.

Following the inquiry, the coalition remains supportive of introducing a rights based framework to guarantee a world-class aged-care system for older Australians into the future. However, as coalition senators noted in the report, there are concerns that the bill contains several shortcomings that should be remedied for it to deliver on its promised outcomes.

We have been critical of the government for their lack of consultation on this significant package of reforms, and this was a concern that was reflected by stakeholders throughout the inquiry. That is why the government must be transparent and release the subordinate legislation associated with the Aged Care Bill before it passes parliament. Withholding this critical information prevents all stakeholders from being able to understand and prepare for the full impact of the changes contained in this bill.

Through good-faith negotiations with the government, the coalition has achieved significant changes to the proposed legislation that will protect the interests of older Australians and future generations. The coalition has worked tirelessly to ensure that the government's reforms are fairer, particularly for Australians who have worked hard all their lives and saved for their retirement. That is why we pushed the government to include grandfathering arrangements, lifetime caps, a much lower taper rate and an assurance that the government will remain the future funder of aged care—not the consumer.

One of the most critical outcomes of our efforts was the introduction of grandfathering arrangements. These arrangements guarantee that Australians who are already in residential aged care, on a home-care package or assessed and waiting for their allocated home-care package will not see any changes to their existing arrangements. In effect, it will mean that all Australians currently in the aged-care system will not pay one cent more for their aged-care packages.

We also advocated a lower taper rate towards aged-care contributions to ensure that those who have worked hard and saved for their retirement receive a fairer deal. The taper rates we demand mean that funding contributions increase at a much slower rate than the government has proposed.

Furthermore, we sought an absolute assurance from the government that they would remain the majority funder of aged care—not the consumer.

We also fought for the maintenance of a lifetime cap on care contributions. These caps we demanded mean that Australians will always know that the maximum they could ever be required to contribute is fixed. Importantly, the maintenance of the lifetime cap will provide families with peace of mind when it comes to the costs associated with caring for their loved ones. Not only did we fight for a lifetime cap but we also introduced a time limited contribution cap of four years for residential aged care.

In addition to these financial safeguards, the coalition secured an additional investment of $300 million in capital funding for regional, rural and remote aged-care providers, who are struggling to remain open under the current government. This funding is critical for upgrading facilities that often struggle to meet the necessary standards due to financial constraints. It is vital that all Australians, regardless of their geographic location, have access to a quality aged-care service. The coalition has always recognised that rural and regional aged-care homes face unique challenges and need more support from this government. We understand that rural, regional and remote homes will also get significantly increased funding for the services they provide to people in their care.

We also fought for the removal of criminal penalties from the act . Our position on criminal penalties has always been clear, and so has the position of both royal commissioners. The introduction of criminal penalties was not a recommendation of the royal commission. Instead, it was an ill-considered and not-consulted-on election promise from this Labor government that would have had dangerous consequences. And let's be clear. By removing criminal penalties from the bill, the coalition has not given a free ticket to providers who are in the wrong. Existing WHS laws, banning orders and criminal codes provide the necessary regulatory framework to hold these people to account. The introduction of stand-alone criminal penalties was simply yet another example of the government's heavy-handedness when it comes to the regulations. We support the need for older Australians to be safe and supported in our aged-care system, but, in order for them to be safe and cared for, we need the workforce to exist in the first place. We have also successfully eliminated provisions that would have forced unionism into every aged-care home, taking the focus away from quality care and instead increasing mandates felt the hardest by small providers.

Whilst there have been significant achievements made by the coalition during our negotiations with the government, it is important to remember that this is Labor's package of reforms. This bill has not been co-designed alongside the coalition.

This government has failed to address critical issues, such as workforce, regulatory impacts and implementation timelines, in the bill. These issues continue to go unaddressed by the government and are causing some serious consequences. Last year alone, 49 aged-care homes closed under the government. As I mentioned earlier in my speech, one of those aged-care homes was in my electorate of Flynn, at Mount Morgan. The coalition is seeking to ensure that the introduction of this bill will not force the closure of more homes and, instead, result in the commitment of critical new builds across the sector—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:41 to 12:26

We remain disappointed by the lack of transparency the government has shown to the Australian public throughout the entire process of reform, with conversations forced to occur behind closed doors. It is clear from the two inquiry hearings held thus far that there is notable frustration among older Australians and in the sector: frustration that many of the changes proposed by the government were not consulted upon, frustration that much of the detail of the new act is held in delegated legislation which is yet to be seen, and frustration that without this delegated legislation Australians cannot adequately respond and prepare for the changes to come. The coalition has called on the government to finally be transparent and publicly release all of the rules associated with the bill prior to its final debate so that we can fully understand the effect of this bill on the sector, on older Australians and on the wider community.

However, it remains clear that this bill aims to ensure Commonwealth aged-care services remain accessible to those who require them today and into the future. It aims to promote dignity, independence and a meaningful life for older Australians, which the coalition remains committed to. We will continue to consult with older Australians in this sector throughout the ongoing inquiry and work through the issues that are raised as we seek to achieve dignity and clarity for all Australians. As the federal member for Flynn, I will continue to fight for our aged-care sector, as we all will have to rely on it at some point in time in our life.

Debate adjourned.

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