Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Ageing. I refer the minister to media reports today that reveal that a coalition of nursing home operators representing 95 per cent of the industry has told the Prime Minister that the existing system cannot meet the burden of our ageing population. After two years of excuses and inaction, when can the families of Australians in need of aged care expect the government to stop talking and start acting on Australia’s aged-care crisis?

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. The Rudd government is providing more funding for more services for older Australians than ever before. In fact, more than 6,300 residential places and 2,800 community care places have been delivered by this government since we were elected and many more are on the way. Over the next four years the government will provide record funding of $44 billion for aged-care services. In fact, under the Rudd government funding for aged-care services has increased by an average of 9.1 per cent a year. This includes delivering an additional $728 million for aged-care homes in the last budget. This government has substantially increased accommodation payments. In March 2008 we introduced changes that provided additional funding of more than $300 million a year when fully implemented, and that is primarily for high care. We have also made $150 million of zero real interest loans available with $150 million more to come.

The government recognises that there are many pressures within our system. These are pressures that have been able to build up for many years. Greg Mundy, CEO of Aged and Community Services Australia, has said:

Aged care has limped along on a series of short term expedient patch-up solutions for most of the past decade.

That was said by Greg Mundy on 11 March 2008. As we have said, there are pressures in the system. The Prime Minister spoke earlier about our national health and hospital reform—

Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker: this is not a question about the past. It is a question about the future, about the crisis in aged care.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for McPherson will resume her seat. There is no point of order. The minister is responding to the question.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I was just referring to the neglect of the previous government when it came to our aged-care sector and our health and hospital sector as well. That is what I was referring to in the comments of Greg Mundy, the CEO of Aged and Community Services. There are patch-ups that have occurred for over a decade. In contrast to that, since we have been in government we have delivered more services for older Australians, record funding for those services, and we are also committed to addressing many of the long-term pressures that are in the system through our National Health and Hospital Reform Commission. The Prime Minister spoke about that earlier, with the vast number of consultations we have had around the country with our front-line health professionals about improvements in our health, hospitals and aged-care sector—all areas in which the coalition cut funding when they were in government. The fact is that this government is committed to delivering more services for our older Australians, now and into the future. We are committed to building a modern health and hospital and aged-care system to meet the future challenges that we face.