Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister inform the House how the government is meeting growing needs in the aged-care sector? How will this latest package help older people who wish to remain at home longer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Greenway for her question and I note that in her electorate yesterday the government announced a $1.5 billion boost to aged-care services. Thanks to this latest initiative, government aged-care funding will rise from some $3 billion back in 1995 to almost $10 billion by 2010.

There were four key elements in yesterday’s announcements. First, pensioners and self-funded retirees in the same financial position will be treated the same in respect of aged-care support; second, the government will increase accommodation charges to meet the Hogan report recommendations on capital funding for high care; third, the government will increase funding for residents with high-care needs such as dementia patients; and, fourth, the government will fund a further 7,200 community aged-care places, taking the total number of aged-care places from under 150,000 in 1995 to almost 250,000 in total by 2010.

I would like to thank the Minister for Ageing, Senator Santoro, for putting together this package in consultation with the sector. Let me observe that this government does not just talk about health; we spend the money necessary to make a good system even better. On that point, I should thank the Treasurer, because were it not for the responsible economic management of this government we could never afford to give Australians the aged-care services they need.