Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about a very important issue in my electorate and in electorates all over Australia. My electorate is one of the oldest electorates in the country; something like 18 per cent of the entire electorate is 65 and over. Therefore aged care issues—issues that deal with home care packages, retirement homes, nursing homes—have a big impact in my electorate. The length of time that older Australians are waiting for home care packages is appalling at the moment. I have had many, many constituents phoning and coming to see me and say that they have applied for aged-care packages, they have been assessed by the proper authorities and have been waiting for many months and, in some cases, up to two years.

Last week I was on my local radio station, 5AA, talking about this issue and trying to highlight it. People called into my office, and I now have whole list of people. For example, Angela from Morphettville was assessed in January; she was approved in February for a level 4 home package, but all they could give her was a level 2. When you are assessed for level 4, it means there are certain needs you have, but all they could give her was a level 2. Another example is Eugene who has been waiting for two years. He was assessed as a level 3 but his daughter had to resign from work to stay home and care for him. Another one who came to see me was Lorna and she was approved for level 4 care but has been waiting for a number of months. We wrote to My Aged Care requesting priority for this woman.

Another was Ruth who was assessed three years ago and was reassessed in November last year due to the deterioration of her state. Another assessment will be made in the next week or so. She was on a level 3 and thinks she should be assessed as a level 4. It has been three years, and her daughter has been caring for her. Norma from Largs Bay, just outside my electorate in the electorate of Port Adelaide, has been receiving level 2 but she was approved for level 4 in March. She has been advised that she needs to be reassessed because the system has changed since March. Hazel arranged for an ACAT assessment in June 2016 and was approved for a level 4. She waited for nine months for the service, but since April has only been receiving two hours of cleaning a week. Her husband looks after her; they are emotionally drained and frustrated.

The government is happy to hand out $65 billion tax cut to our country's richest people, yet can you imagine how much $65 billion can buy for aged-care packages to assist these people. In many cases these people have worked all their lives, paid their taxes, contributed to our economy. As members of parliament and legislators, we should be doing all we can to assist these people. Pensioners and older Australians keep on getting slogged, and it is just not fair. As I said, older Australians are already made to feel like a burden to our society when they have to apply for packages and are basically told there is nothing there for them. We should be doing all we can to support them to live independent, fulfilling lives at home for as long as possible. That is the message we have been hearing from the government and from our side, but, unfortunately, the funding is not there. We did not see a single cent in the last budget allocated towards more packages and better aged care. We have only heard about the pension cuts, people being a lot older before they can retire and cutting the pensions of people who live overseas.

Since 27 February, Home Care Packages are being allocated directly to individuals, not to aged-care providers. That is fine, but people are now assessed as eligible for a certain level of package, and then they go into a national queue. That is where the wait is. They have to wait for someone to vacate that queue—perhaps through a whole range of issues—before they are allocated that package. In reality, people are waiting months and months for packages. The people who I just gave examples of are waiting up to two years, and that is not good enough—two years for a pensioner who has contributed, paid their taxes and worked all their lives. (Time expired)