Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Looking after and respecting older Australians is in the DNA of this government and is very close to my heart. Establishing the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was one of the first decisions the Prime Minister made upon taking office. Yes, some of the stories that came out of the commission were very distressing. The interim report has brought to light the fact that all providers, all governments and, more broadly, the community can do more. Together, we need to ensure that elderly Australians are provided with a safe environment and high-quality care during their twilight years.

However, I want to point out to this Chamber that not all the stories out of the aged-care sector are negative. In fact, in the last few months I had the privilege of visiting Elizabeth Gardens in Burwood; Highwood Court Aged Care, also in Burwood; Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill; and AdventCare in Nunawading. All these outstanding facilities are run by caring staff and volunteers. Their commitment to high-quality care was very clear from what I observed and from the conversations I had with residents.

The interim report of the aged care royal commission identified three priority areas: home-care packages, chemical restraints and younger people in residential aged care. The coalition government has responded strongly to the recommendations of the interim report with a $537 million investment. This includes, firstly, investing $496.3 million to deliver an additional 10,000 home-care packages. This investment will take the number of home-care packages in 2019-20 to more than 150,000. I remind the Chamber that, under Labor, in 2012-13 only 60,308 packages were available. This represents a 149 per cent increase.

Secondly, it will create new restrictions on the use of medication as a chemical restraint. This includes providing $25.5 million to improve medication management programs to reduce the use of chemical restraints and delivering $10 million for additional dementia training and support for aged-care workers and providers. This investment in aged care builds on the government's strong support to treat and find a cure for dementia.

In 2019 there are an estimated 447,000 Australians living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, this figure is expected to grow to more than one million by 2058. Sadly, dementia is the leading cause of death among Australian women and the second-leading cause of death among Australians. In 2015 the federal government provided an additional $200 million for dementia research over five years. This investment boosted the funding for Australia's dementia research sector to more than $60 million per year.

Thirdly, we are investing $4.7 million to help remove younger people with disability from residential aged care. As a former speech pathologist working with young Australians with disability, I understand the importance of assisting these young people to develop skills to increase their self-confidence and optimise their opportunities. Organisations like Alkira Centre in my electorate of Chisholm do incredible work in this field.

Only the coalition can provide the strong economic management necessary to deliver record investment in aged care. I am proud to be a member of this government—a government that is committed to delivering for all Australians.