Rowan Ramsey (Grey, 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 how the government is supporting ageing Australians and providing essential services upon which they rely, without increasing taxes? Is the minister aware of any different approaches that would hurt the savings of these retirees who have worked so hard to support themselves?

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you going to apologise for your 'elder abuse' comment?

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

Member for McMahon!

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

Let me just say to the member for McMahon: if you want a focus on just a narrow strand of need for senior Australians, then you are not doing your job of responding to the needs of constituents in your electorate who are senior Australians, who need to be looked after. That's why you turned your back on them.

We have provided an additional $662 million to add to the work that we are doing for senior Australians, and just recently. in MYEFO. we announced $552 million. Importantly, I want to refer to a comment made by the member for Franklin in the chamber last night about a $2 billion cut. What's interesting is that ABC Fact Check challenged that and said it was wrong—that it was a false claim.

We are continuing to reform the aged-care sector to meet the needs of senior Australians. In addition, we are focusing on many other aspects of encouraging Australians living to 100 years old to have a quality of life—that is absolutely important—and we are looking after those people, who are our mothers and fathers, our uncles and aunts, who are in aged care who need this level of support and intervention.

What will be interesting about the royal commission is this: to find the truth, the scalpel of candour has to cut deep. That royal commission will look at the Productivity Commission report, and look at the elements that were addressed and those that were ignored. It was a program of reform by the member for Port Adelaide, and there are many elements that were positive, but there are many aspects that go to the quality of life of senior Australians that were not addressed by the government of the day in that period. So we're doing the work that is required, because we have a strong economy and that strong economy gives us the an opportunity to find the funding that is needed to provide for the needs of senior Australians. And we will continue to do that. The health checks that we are putting in place for healthy ageing will enable senior Australians to check their health and to look at their career pathway, and, if they wish to make a change, they can make that change. It'll also give them the opportunity to look at their financial planning, their financial needs, for both retirement and aged care.

All of us in this chamber, including those on the other side, I know, are committed to looking after senior Australians. This is about a bipartisan approach to making sure that the people who gave us everything that we take for granted have the opportunity to enjoy their final years of living and spending time with their family.

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

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.

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

Before members depart, I just want to address the House on a matter that you'll all be very much interested in. I can inform the House that the Clerk, David Elder, has advised me of his intention to retire in the not-too-distant future. He will be here for the rest of this parliament and for the first part of the next parliament, so we won't have any speeches today.

Depending on the timing of the election, he will retire in July or August, once the new parliament's set in. But I just wanted to announce that to the House. He's done that in good time so that I can begin the process of selecting a successor. He's served the House of Representatives for 38 years and five years as Clerk. At his request we're not doing speeches today, but I think a warm round of applause would be appropriate.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!