Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is said that a nation can be judged by the way it treats its young and its elderly. By this sentiment, this government should really be ashamed. The latest government report indicates that more than 129,000 older Australians are waiting for their already approved home care packages. I just want to say that figure one more time: in 2019 there are over 129,000 older Australians who have approved home care packages but who have not been provided with those packages. It really is a disgrace. Since 2017, the wait list for home care has grown from 88,000 to more than 129,000.

As lawmakers in this House, we have an absolute obligation to support our ageing population, and we know the bubble is just ahead of us. Our population is ageing, but we know that population bubble is coming down the road. Forget the Canberra bubble; we've got the ageing-population bubble coming, and we can't even cope with the demand on packages right now. This is seriously a policy void that the Morrison government must tackle.

Like so many others across the nation, the number of older Australians in my electorate who are waiting for the care they desperately need and deserve keeps getting higher and higher. My office regularly hears from constituents in absolutely heartbreaking situations, like the woman who had to pay hundreds of dollars for her husband to be in hospital because she couldn't care for him at home and his aged-care package hadn't been delivered despite waiting months. It's not uncommon to hear about people who know they're eligible for a level 3 or 4 package but who apply for a level 2 because they know they'll probably get that quicker than the one they desperately need. If ever there was a requirement for a massive shakeup, it's aged care in Australia.

Older Australians in my community are entering residential aged care, and even more, emergency departments, instead of receiving their approved home care package—so much for growing old in your own home in safety and dignity. When we talk about the number of people who are waiting for care, it's important to take a step back and think about the lives behind those numbers. Earlier this month, I met some extraordinary Australians in our community, and I took part in Meals on Wheels. I hadn't done that for many, many years, but I went along with Beresfield Community Care to deliver the Friday Meals on Wheels. It was an incredible experience and I encourage all elected representatives to do some Meals on Wheels in their community. You get to go into the homes and meet older Australians, some of whom have worked hard and paid their taxes and are now doing it pretty tough. They really look forward to those meals. Not only that, it can be a very lonely existence for many of them. But they get up and they're there waiting for Meals on Wheels. It was truly a terrific opportunity for me to talk to people about their lives and just how they're feeling as they age in their homes. Whilst services like cleaning, making the bed and running the vacuum are great—and they are provided—I believe some of the big maintenance issues for people who are ageing in their own homes also need to be tackled. People are living in their family home but maintaining the home, and not just having it cleaned, is a real issue.

I want to touch briefly on Mary Frances Brennan. Last December I spoke about Mary, who had been waiting 530 days for her home care package. She was in and out of hospital with what her son John described as preventable illnesses, such as infections. In December, Mary was told it would take at least another six months for her to receive her package. When I first mentioned Mary, I said it was heartbreaking. Well, it's even more heartbreaking now because I stand here today to tell you that seven months after that speech Mary Frances Brennan passed away, having never received the aged care package she had applied for two years and 20 days earlier. Mary's son John and her husband, Peter, acknowledged that her home care package may not have prolonged her life, but they know that it would have made her quality of life so much better. Truly, where are we in Australia in 2019 when people are dying for the help they deserve and desperately need?

Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to commend the progress that has been made by the government since 2013 to increase the number of home care packages made available to older Australians. There would be few people in this place who have not been personally affected by the challenges of caring for an older family member, whether it be a parent, a grandparent, or a member of the extended family. Indeed, my own mother and her siblings are currently caring for their mother, my 92-year-old grandmother, who chooses to stay in her own home.

Home care packages allow older Australians to make the choice to stay in their homes for longer. This is an important choice. It allows more people to approach their later stages of life with greater dignity and independence. It also eases the workload often shouldered by family members who take up the role of caring for older Australians in addition to working full time and supporting their own children. Since 2012 and 2013, the government has increased the number of home care packages from just over 60,000 to over 124,000 in 2018-19, with more than 157,000 projected by 2022-23. This year, a further 10,000 home care packages will be available across all four levels of care.

The Morrison government has also extended the Commonwealth Home Support Program for a further two years, providing continuity of service for 800,000 consumers. Just last week, a further $150 million over three years was granted and announced by Minister Colbeck for providers of the Commonwealth Home Support Program. It is for entry-level care, to expand the program in areas where demand currently outstrips supply.

This is in stark contrast to Labor who, at the election, went to the polls with no additional funding for home care packages or aged care more broadly. When Labor left office in 2013, funding for aged care was $13.3 billion. Under our government, funding for aged care will continue to grow to $25.4 billion in 2023. With an ageing population, there is significant pressure on the aged-care industry to grow and adapt to meet market demands. More Australians than ever before are seeking support through home care or residential aged care, and I am pleased that the Morrison government is taking steps to secure this support into the future.

I want to acknowledge, briefly, the work of the multicultural organisations in my electorate of Reid in supporting the needs of older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Firstly, there is the work of the Chinese Australian Services Society, CASS, led by Dr Bo Zhou. CASS provides support to a broad range of people, particularly the East Asian communities in Sydney. Today I'd like to congratulate them on the home care packages and Commonwealth home support programs they deliver with the culturally appropriate services they provide.

CASS also supports older Australians with aged-care centres. I was particularly interested in their integration of the program with early learning and childcare day care centres, which benefits both children and older Australians. The interactions between both ends of the life span—young people in day care but also the aged care—was very interesting to observe, and I understand Griffith University is conducting a research study on this very model.

Last year, Minister Wyatt, who was then the Minister for Aged Care, visited Reid to open the Gallipoli Home aged-care facility in Auburn. It is the first aged-care facility dedicated to providing care for Muslim and culturally diverse seniors. I'm pleased the federal government was able to provide $10 million to bring this project to fruition, in recognition of the growing number of older Australians born overseas. Home care packages are an important part of the support available for older Australians who choose to remain in their homes longer, like my 92-year-old grandmother. The services— (Time expired)

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:33