Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how Australia's strong economy enables us to look after the elderly residents of rural and regional Australia? What are the risks to the infrastructure investment that is helping rural and regional senior Australians get the care that they deserve?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wide Bay for his question. Aged care is very, very important. We believe that quality aged-care services should be available close to home, particularly for those people in country Australia. When they have to make that decision, or their families make the decisions for them to go to a residential aged-care place, sometimes, all too often, they have to go many hundreds of kilometres from where they've lived most of their life, away from their family and friends. That is very difficult. It's difficult for them primarily, but it's also difficult for their family and friends. It's an already stressful time for them. All of us would want our mums, dads, grandparents, families and friends to be close to us during that time and in the future. We want that for all Australian people.

A strong economy means that we can invest in aged-care centres through such programs as the Building Better Regions Fund; it's such a good fund for country Australia. In that fund in recent rounds there has been $8 million to the Gloucester Anglican care centre, a 50-bed facility with communal areas, in the member for Lyne's electorate. There has been $1.4 million in Kiama, in Gilmore, for restoring the Blue Haven aged care centre of excellence. There has been $3.6 million to Frank Whiddon Masonic Homes in Temora. There has been $1.8 million for Barcaldine age care centre, in Maranoa, for five additional aged-care units. There has been $204,000 for Blackbutt and Benarkin Aged Care Association, also in the minister for agriculture's seat, for new independent living dwellings—that might not seem a lot of money in the scheme of things, but they're so important to those country people and so important to their families. There has been $1.2 million for Mercy Health and Aged Care Centre Central Queensland, in the member for Capricornia's electorate in Rockhampton, for a new community centre for recreation facilities. There has been $1.6 million to Quambie Park Waroona, in Canning in Western Australia, for nine disability modified accommodation units for aged people.

They all add up. They add up for the families and they add up for those people who are retiring to those particular centres. The Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care announced in June this year at an aged-care approval round—in Wagga Wagga, in fact—$13,500 for residential aged-care places: 775 restorative care places specifically in rural, regional and remote centres. That is very, very good. This follows the ACAR investment across the regions in this term. Gympie's Cooinda Aged Care Centre will receive a $5 million capital grant towards the construction of its new, nearly $12 million 50-bed building.

I'm asked about the risks. Unfortunately, I have to say that programs such as the Building Better Regions Fund will probably go. But I'll tell you what would also happen if Labor got into government: they would take a sledgehammer to the retirement savings of those hardworking Australians, who deserve better from their parliament. (Time expired)

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In his first answer, the Prime Minister offered one quote from the aged-care sector about the 2016 budget. In his answer, why did he fail to refer to Leading Age Services Australia, which called the continued cuts to aged care 'devastating' and said the government was 'in denial about the true cost of providing complex care' in Australia?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. I refer her to my earlier answer where I made it very clear that, under this government, funding for aged care has been increasing by more than a billion dollars a year. One plus one does not equal zero; one plus one equals two.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When we add that additional funding each year—

Opposition members interjecting—

The opposition interjects and congratulates me on my maths, but I seem to be the only one sitting at this table able to do it. On that side, they think that if you increase funding it's a cut.

I'm asked about the funding of aged care. Let me tell you what we've also done. In the budget this year I put $200 million into a five-year program to boost dementia research in this country. $150 million is being used to fast-track progress towards preventions, treatments and cures for dementia. $50 million is for the National Institute for Dementia Research and an extra $34 million, through the Dementia and Aged Care Services, is making significant research achievements. The highlights so far include ultrasound technology to improve memory and the slow onset of dementia, an understanding of the impact of childhood stress as a dementia risk factor, and the potential for eye scans to reveal early signs of dementia.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Batman!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite interject. They just raised the issue of the complex needs of people in aged care and I'm talking about funding for dementia research.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Batman is warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We provide additional resources for mental health support for people in residential aged care. Just last week we announced $106 million, which included $16 million for funding to support increased policing of standards in the aged care sector, some $50 million to boost the capacity of regional centres and another $40 million to lift quality standards in the aged care sector.

This government is investing in aged care in this country. Through our support for in-home care places, we are acutely aware of the fact that Australians want the choice to stay at home longer and age in their homes. This means that when people go into residential aged care their needs are more acute. That's why it's important that we have a better understanding of these issues and it is why, I believe, the royal commission will be very helpful. It will not only look at what standards and controls are in place but will look into the future and ensure that we have a factual basis to ensure bipartisan support for strong aged care policy over the next decade and beyond.

Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care. Will the minister update the House on actions the government has already taken to ensure the quality and safety of Australia's aged care sector?

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Brisbane for his ongoing interest in aged care. Since Oakden, what we've done is turn our minds to safety and quality for every senior Australian in this nation in residential care, in Aboriginal communities and in in-home care. What we have also done is to take all four sets of standards and we now have one set that is applied across all areas. Unannounced audits and unannounced visits were an outcome of the Oakden inquiry. That work is absolutely important because it has shown that there are serious risks. The unannounced audits now demonstrate very clearly why it was necessary to do it. In the first year, we had two serious incident reports. In the following year there were 22, and, recently, there have been 61 serious incident reports, which I discussed with the Prime Minister. In discussing those, we reached the conclusion that there were many elements in aged care that need to be considered and viewed by an independent authority, hence the announcement of the royal commission.

Service providers will no longer receive advanced notice for re-accreditation, and that is important because we want them to make sure that they provide the quality of program and services that are absolutely important. They will have nowhere to hide. This will ramp up even more through the tough cop, the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The legislation we passed through the House and that will hopefully travel through the Senate with the support of senators, will mean that the new commission comes into place on 1 January. It is important that all of us turn our minds to the safety and quality of life that senior Australians deserve in aged care.

We have announced an additional $106 million for better support, facilities, care and standards, and $50 million for the new cop on the beat. But, more importantly, $50 million has been announced for aged care providers to transition to the new standards that we have all agreed to. It is important that we consider quality and safety as part of that process.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Other matters, as the member for Moreton interjects and makes comment about, will be considered by the royal commission. There is an opportunity—that's why the royal commission will cover a range of issues in that context. We will continue to provide the level of funding in aged care that we currently do and, as it increases by a billion each year in the forward years, that will give certainty to senior Australians.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care. During question time in May the minister criticised Labor for saying that aged care was 'in a state of national crisis', with the minister saying that this was 'fearmongering and verging on the abuse of older Australians'. Will the minister now apologise to older Australians and their families for refusing to acknowledge the crisis in aged care?

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Franklin for her question. And yes, I did say that in the chamber. I said it at a point in time when the context had to be considered as to why I made those comments. If you remember, I made the comments that I was slow to anger on many issues, but what I've done and continue to do is to act to put in place the reforms that are absolutely necessary. That includes Living Longer and having choice in the budget proposals that we focused on with better access to care, better quality of care and, more importantly, ageing well. At the time I made that comment the Leader of the Opposition called me shortly after question time, and he and I had a discussion. But it doesn't change my position on wanting to make sure that every senior Australian in this nation who built this country and has given us everything that we've taken for granted deserves the things that we put in place.

We will continue to do the reform in a number of areas. In terms of workforce, I appointed John Pollaers to head up a task force to look at the workforce needs in the aged-care sector, because the numbers will increase from 366,000 to 920,000 by 2050. I want to see a workforce that provides the nurturing and the care, and the aged-care workforce that I have had the privilege of meeting in 100 facilities across this nation I would stand beside. I would stand beside them because I have seen them deliver good care. I have seen them deliver compassion. I have seen them at the funerals of people they've cared for. The aged-care workforce has been absolutely tremendous, and what I want to do, with our government and working with the Prime Minister, is have our government look at the opportunities that we create for pathways into aged care that look after senior Australians. It is absolutely important. And I don't reconcile from the stance that I've taken on a number of issues, because I have a total commitment to making sure that we in this House collectively provide the pathways that ensure that the programs we put in place have bipartisan support. What I put in place with the Prime Minister out of the royal commission and what we put in place continually from our budget programs will continue to ensure that we have quality of life for senior Australians wherever they live—in cities, in regional Australia, in remote Australia and in country towns where the numbers are small, because our senior Australians have the social capacity and deserve the quality of life that they have earnt through their hard work. (Time expired)