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. In the last two financial years the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency reported a near tripling of concerns that accreditation standards for aged-care facilities were not being met. Given the minister is responsible for overseeing the agency, and has been the minister responsible for over 30 months, what warnings did he receive about the type of poor care and treatment that was revealed on Four Corners and when did he receive them?

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. Since becoming involved in the portfolio I have frequently been in and out of aged-care facilities right across this nation, so I've become aware of incidents as they occur. When you talk to people locally and meet with families who have been affected, as I have done—I've met with Noleen Hausler, for example; I listened to the issues that she raised with me.I meet regularly with the quality agency and, in meeting with the quality agency, we talk about the reports that are absolutely critical for those matters that I have referred to the quality agency.

In that time within the portfolio and particularly following Oakden, what I did is I set about ensuring that we would make changes to the commission, that we would bring together the aged-care and quality components under one commission that would seek to be more expedient and efficient in dealing with critical issues. I have kept myself across the issues. In South Australia the member for Hindmarsh, who has worked very closely with his community, has raised issues with me. Leon Byner has interviewed me, and each time that matters have been raised I've given a commitment that our government will address them and will follow through and make sure that people are taken care of in times of crisis. I met with the families from Oakden. Senator Xenophon brought them to Parliament House. I met with them. I listened to their issues, and what I was very keen to do was to make sure that our government would focus on ensuring quality was in place for all Australians, hence the legislation that has passed through this chamber, both—

Ms Collins interjecting—

It doesn't matter. Each time, Member for Franklin, when issues have been raised with me, we have acted on them. Let me say that, when we had the Carnell-Paterson review, the review was announced on 1 May 2017, and the report came to me on 2 October 2017. The report was released on 25 October. I immediately announced that unannounced reaccreditation audits would apply to every aged-care facility so that none of them would prepare in advance. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is being established. Improving regulation of aged-care quality, strengthening aged-care compliance, a single quality framework, the Tune legislated review—we're acting on them. All of them are focusing on better care and better opportunities for Australians. Let me say that we will continue to tackle those issues and incidents as they arise. Oakden was the most significant one because it was the most public in the reporting in two reports, one undertaken by the Chief Psychiatrist, the other undertaken by a barrister from ICAC. We have continued to make sure that the reforms that we are putting in place continue to have the level of impact that is needed. (Time expired)

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

My question is also to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care. Will the minister update the House on measures the government is taking to support older Australians to live at home longer by providing the crucial access to in-home services on which many older Australians rely?

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

I thank the member for Wide Bay for his ongoing interest in this issue. I've enjoyed visiting your seat and talking to people who receive home care packages. What has been great is today the Prime Minister and I had the pleasure of meeting with Ray and Wendy White and with Louise in her home in Canberra, and what both of them talked about was the importance of choice in having access to home-care packages. Ray talked about the level of services he receives that allows him to stay home with his wife, otherwise he would be in aged care and they would be separated. We want to keep couples together and this enables that. Louise talked about her husband, who experienced cancer for seven years. She talked about the fact that she was his carer because the home care package enabled that. The grandchildren would come over through the back fence, sit on the bed with Poppy and talk to him about his history and his stories and they would share quality time.

We are committed to making sure Australians have choices around their pathways. Home care packages are now seeing more and more Australians make the decision to stay at home longer. Carers are being supported as well. Our latest data reveals that 77,918 older Australians were supported by home care packages as at 31 December 2017, a 12-month increase of 9,261, or 13.5 per cent. Under our government, funding for aged care is up, home care package funding is up and residential places are up. It is important that we provide a range of opportunities to allow families to remain and enjoy the company of their community. Both Ray and Louise this morning made the comment, along with Wendy, that what they love about home care packages is that they are living near their friends, they are part of a neighbourhood and they are part of their community. We will continue to provide the level of service that gives them dignity within their community and the level of support that enables them to live their life fully.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Those who choose the residential aged care pathway, Member for Sydney, will have that option, so we are giving people options on both sides. We have been examining the waiting lists and what we found on that, as I indicated in this chamber before, is that most people—up to 71 per cent—are in receipt of packages. A number who are on that list have not made a decision about what package they want to have—84 days—so there is choice even in that. Some have refused the level that they have been provided, because they intend to focus on wanting the high-level package before they receive the lesser. (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 again to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care. When did the minister first become aware of the abuses which were screened on Four Corners last night?

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

On the Four Corners program, let me say I was aware that the ABC, following Oakden South Australia, had started to interview and speak to senior Australians who had raised issues with them about the quality of care in aged-care facilities. In fact, if I remember and recall back to Oakden, 7.30 did a series of stories out of the Northern Territory initially, then out of a couple of other locations, around the quality of care that was not being provided to senior Australians. I was not aware of the specific stories on Four Corners last night. I did not have the specificity of detail on that. I was interviewed by Four Corners. They asked me a range of questions to do with the way in which aged care is provided to senior Australians, they talked about a range of issues to do with quality of food, they asked about incidents, they asked about the quality agency and they explored numerous other matters with me. They also mentioned that they had received 4,000 responses from Australians across the nation.

I noticed last night that Four Corners started by acknowledging that the Prime Minister had called for a royal commission, which they welcomed. That was important because they recognised, equally from their stories and from the information they had, that there is something wrong in the system. When I looked at those incidents last night and all three families, I saw things that would not have been picked up by the quality agency, had they gone in there. There are elements around that.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

Leader of the Opposition, I'm not fearmongering, nor are we trying to do the royal commission to fearmonger. I think the bipartisan approach is absolutely critical in what we do, Leader of the Opposition. I did make comments at the time, and I acknowledged yesterday that I did make comments, but they were based on a point in time and a set of circumstances to which I responded. But, on this, it is absolutely important that we continue to focus on the safety and quality of life of Australians within aged care. I was quite disturbed by those stories last night, because I did not expect to see Australians in aged care, who'd been entrusted into the care of providers, to be given the experiences that we saw. Let me say that all of us have to think about making sure—

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Five years in government!

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

The member for McEwen is warned.

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

Five years is not the issue, member for McEwen; the issue is to do with all of us making sure that the quality of care to anybody in a facility in this nation, including home care, is provided at the highest level. Where we know there are incidents— (Time expired)