Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today at a breakfast here in Parliament House the National Aged Care Alliance launched their paper 'Australians deserve to age well—preparing for our future now'. This paper looks into developing the Productivity Commission's report and it provides positive suggestions for the future. The breakfast was co-funded by the Parliamentary Friends of Seniors and Ageing and two other parliamentary friends groups.

This parliament has been very active in the area of ageing and has been looking at the needs of an ageing population into the future, given that Australia's population is ageing at a very fast rate. Events such as the breakfast this morning, which is looking to the future and developing plans and blueprints for where Australia goes, are very important. It is to the credit of the alliance that they have looked at the Productivity Commission's report, which was released last year, and ways in which that report can be implemented. It identifies the issues that are very important to older Australians and their carers, to those working within the aged care industry and to those who are supplying aged care services for people. It acknowledges the importance of being able to supply aged care both within the home and within residential care packages and of the need for more aged care to be provided within the home. The report identifies the fact that aged-care facilities are often some distance from the home of the person who needs to reside in residential aged care.

I would like to congratulate the National Aged Care Alliance on the positive report that they have launched today and I would like to encourage members to visit the expo that is going to be taking place here until about three o'clock. There is a lot of useful information, and I would like members to take that information back to their electorates because we should never underestimate the importance of providing for people as they become frail and aged. This is a very important role that we as members of parliament need to play.