Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the shadow minister met with Christine from Penrith, who has spent 16 years caring for aged-care residents. Christine says things have got much worse under this government and residents are no longer getting the care they deserve. She's made the difficult decision to leave. Why hasn't the Prime Minister addressed the chronic workforce shortage affecting aged-care workers and the people in their care?

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The standing orders prevent the same question from being asked again—well, it certainly seemed identical.

Government membe rs interjecting—

I'm very appreciative of the gratuitous advice from members on my right but, as members on my right know, I am able to give a member an opportunity to rephrase a question. But, on this occasion, it's not a matter of rephrasing the question. That question was out of order because it was, to the extent that I'm able to tell—and I don't have the wording in front of me—identical. I think the House accepts your mea culpa, Member for Cooper. I will give the member for Cooper the call on this occasion.

That's out of order, Leader of the House. The member for Cooper has the call.

Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Would Australia's aged-care system have been better equipped to cope with the deadly COVID outbreaks if the Prime Minister had not made a $1.7 billion cut when he was Treasurer?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The proposition of the question is false. Aged-care funding has gone up each year, every year, under this government. Each year has been a record. Last year we had a $17.7 billion additional investment. In one budget alone, additional investment—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just ask the minister to resume his seat for a moment. I would've thought, given the leniency that I just showed on that question, that members on my left would've been keen to hear the answer to the question. But the level of interjections is too high. I've given you a general warning. I don't know what more I can do to put you on notice that you'll be enjoying the rest of the afternoon outside the chamber if you keep interjecting. I don't enjoy throwing people out. You work so hard—everybody works so hard—to get in here. I don't know why people are so keen to get thrown out. The minister for health has the call.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Each year, every year, under this government, funding has gone up to record levels in aged care. No person in Australian history has invested more money in aged care and overseen greater reform in aged care than this Prime Minister. He was the one who went where Labor was afraid to go and brought in a royal commission into aged care, following the scandal of Oakden in a public aged-care facility in South Australia under the previous Labor government—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Whitlam will leave under 94(a).

The member for Whitlam then left the chamber.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a scandal which should lead to absolute shame on the opposition benches but about which they seem to have airbrushed from their memory. But, as a consequence, the royal commission called out historic neglect, called out an intergenerational challenge that this country has faced. The response has been an investment going from $13 billion, increasing now as we see it, to $27 billion, to $30 billion, to $32 billion, to $33 billion—a $20 billion increase from when Labor was last in government to the end of the current forward estimates, again to be increased in this year's budget.

And, as part of that, what we have done in particular is put in place absolutely vital aspects of higher care. And that includes actions, which have passed this House, to put in place greater screening for workers. And these are being blocked. These measures to protect aged-care residents are being blocked in the Senate right now by Labor. They are standing in the way of protection for older Australians.

So they come to the dispatch box. They come to this House. They talked about assisting older Australians in residential aged care and they blocked the very means of delivering that protection for older Australians. They have learned nothing from Oakden, they have learned nothing from their failure to invest when they were in government and they have learned nothing from what has occurred in other countries around the world—a world in which we see that Australia has one of the lowest rates of a loss of life in aged care. Each one of those lives lost is an agony for the families involved, but each one of those lives saved is something for which we should be thankful, and, above all else, I thank the workers who contribute to that. (Time expired)

Honourable members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I know we're all tired. Everybody's tired. It has been a very long 48 hours. Let's just try to get through it.