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

Last week, Tom Fleming, a student of Rosebank College in Five Dock, joined my electoral office for his year 10 work experience. Tom was particularly concerned about the quality of Australia's aged-care facilities, as this is an issue he has personally witnessed in his community.

Today, more than 1.3 million Australians access or use some form of aged-care, with that number expected to grow to an estimated 3.5 million Australians by 2050. In light of the disturbing findings from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, we will continue to improve the aged-care system to protect older Australians. We have invested over $90 billion, to go into the sector over the next four years, to enable senior Australians to remain in their homes for longer, and to support their choices, have their needs better understood and improve their quality of life.

In July, the Morrison government introduced new standards for residential aged care to improve transparency for senior Australians and their families, as well as making regulation clearer for providers. This will allow aspects of service provision to be measured in order to contribute to the quality of care for senior Australians. The standards are also used by providers as part of continuous improvement.

Tom strongly feels that it is our civil duty to care for older Australians, especially as Australia's population continues to age. I commend Tom for his passion on this issue. And thank you, Tom, for your work and enthusiasm in my office. Best of luck for your future studies.