Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise the enormous contribution of older Australians to this nation. Our older Australians make up a very significant portion of my electorate of Richmond and the population right throughout the New South Wales North Coast. They are the fabric of our strong and vibrant community. The experience, wisdom and knowledge they have is something to be valued and respected. We must never forget that it's our seniors who built this nation. They put in the hard yards, paid their taxes, raised their children and contributed to building our communities to be what they are today.

I recently sent out my annual kit for pensioners and seniors, and the response from locals has been overwhelming. It contains useful information such as payment rates, safety tips and local contacts. Many seniors have told me it was important to feel acknowledged and appreciated, something they don't often feel under of the Morrison government. In fact, it makes me so angry to constantly see this government neglecting our seniors. We know from the royal commission into aged care that 30 per cent of Australians living in aged care are receiving substandard care. About 68 per cent of people living in aged care are malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. There's no other way to describe this but absolutely disgraceful. How dare this government, the Morrison government, treat the very people who built this nation with such contempt and such neglect. Make no mistake, this situation is a direct result of the Morrison government's severe funding cuts to aged care. After more than $1.7 billion in cuts to aged care, Australian seniors are hurting. More than 100,000 people are waiting for home-care packages, with some waiting up to three years.

Also, the bungled vaccine rollout is hurting our seniors. So many in my community are still waiting because we haven't had enough vaccine supplied to our region. The Morrison government has also failed to establish quarantine facilities across the nation to keep us all safe. The vaccine rollout and quarantine are federal government responsibilities. They've failed at both, and the fact is they're putting our seniors' lives at risk. Today, of course, it was revealed that the Prime Minister doesn't even know how many aged-care residents or workers have been fully vaccinated. His government has neglected the residents and the workers. The government promised they'd be fully vaccinated by Easter; now here we are in June.

The simple fact is that governments can change lives. They can choose to change lives and improve standards for older Australians. But this government doesn't. Never forget that, and don't let them forget it either. As I've said so many times before, we as a nation have a duty to ensure our older Australians are treated with respect and dignity. We must ensure they can access public services and support when they need those services. So I say to the seniors on the North Coast: I'm on your side; Labor is on your side. Labor is listening and understands your concerns. We listen to you because you deserve to be listened to. We respect you because you deserve to be respected. My door is always open, and I'm proud to say I'm on your side today and every day. I'll always fight for you.