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

My question is to be Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Minister for Social Inclusion and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform. I refer the minister to the Living Longer, Living Better aged-care reform package which was introduced into parliament this morning. Minister, how will these reforms improve the quality of care and support for older Australians?

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Shortland for the question. This morning I introduced five bills to round out the implementation of the $3.7 billion aged-care reform package Living Longer, Living Better. This legislation has been the subject of very detailed consultation with the sector and follows the delivery of a range of other commitments in the package: the design and release of new home care packages, consumer directed packages advertised last year and ready for delivery after 1 July this year; a determination by the new Aged Care Financing Authority about how providers will qualify for increased accommodation payments under this government's package and for a fairer and more transparent system of accommodation charging for consumers; the release and design of programs for increased dementia support; and better linkages between the aged-care system and our health system.

Last week, I announced arrangements to begin to lift the wages of aged-care workers. We will need to triple the number of aged-care workers in this country over the next few decades, yet even today we struggle to recruit and to retain workers that we need.

Mr Tony Smith interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Casey is warned.

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The most recent workforce census revealed that more than 60 per cent of aged-care facilities are short of registered nurses and 50 per cent of facilities are short of carers. Low wages in this sector are universally recognised as our key problem. The Productivity Commission recommended that we develop a funding system to underpin the payment of fair and competitive wages to those workers.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House is not assisting the minister with his answer. The Leader of the House will resume his seat. This is a really important issue. I thought most people would actually be interested in this.

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

National Seniors Australia advised us that, in a survey of their members, their members said that this issue was the most important question in aged care. The National Aged Care Alliance dealt with this issue explicitly in their blueprint for aged-care reform that they delivered to all parties in February 2012. On page 7, they said:

…there is a need for:

They called for:

This alliance is a very broad group and includes all of the major providers in the aged-care sector. I have always regarded their advice very highly.

I am pleased to say that my announcement last week reflected that advice entirely. I table the blueprint for the assistance of House members. Most aged-care workers that I meet do not do this work for the money. They do it because they love it, but that has to stop being an excuse for paying such low wages for such important work.