Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday he boasted about his record on aged care, with a list of more than 15 announcements. Does the Prime Minister recognise that his announcements are not matched by delivery? How is it that after seven years of this Liberal government a royal commission chooses the word 'neglect' to describe the sector, a resident has ants crawling from open wounds and over 450 have died from COVID-19?

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

I thank the member for his question. The royal commission, which I initiated soon after becoming Prime Minister, was designed to ensure that all in this place—and some, like the Leader of the Opposition, have been in this place for a considerable time. The royal commission has observed, as have many outside the royal commission, that the challenges that we have in aged care are not the product of just one or two years; they are the product of 30 years of how policy has impacted on the aged-care sector. It is important that as we seek to address the issues that I'm sure the royal commission will be identifying—as I outlined to the House yesterday, we have, even since the royal commission, announced numerous measures which are being implemented, have been implemented and will continue to be implemented to address the very significant issues and challenges that are in aged care.

The government does not walk away from those challenges. We have done everything we can to ensure that a light is shone upon the challenges that are in the aged-care sector. We have backed that up with a commitment—during the COVID period alone, we have contributed an extra $1.5 billion to address the critical needs that exist in that sector. Every single death that has occurred as a result of COVID or has otherwise occurred in the aged-care sector, or where there have been issues of neglect or issues of a failure to come up to standard by operators, be they public, private or not-for-profit—these are the challenges that we are addressing and will continue to address. I would invite the opposition to join us in the measures that we have put forward and will continue to put forward to address these very significant issues.

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

Before I call the member for Grey, I would remind the House that photographers will be shooting again from the three ceremonial doors that are open and from the two open doors that are behind me. I call the member for Grey.