Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care. I refer the minister to her answer last week that 869 new nurses would be needed for Labor's 24/7 nurses in aged care policy. In April, when asked about the number of nurses needed to deliver 24/7 nursing, the now Minister for Home Affairs said, 'We will need to bring in low thousands, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 new people.' Was the Minister for Home Affairs wrong or did you, Minister, mislead the House?

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to talk about workforce shortages and the numbers of workforce shortages, specifically about those numbers that came out in estimates. I think it was 1 April, off the top of my head, when these numbers were being discussed.

What's important to note here is that these numbers were the modelling of the then Morrison government when being told about workforce shortages. The difference is that we are actually doing something about it. We are doing something about workforce shortages. They were given a secret report that, on the theme of today, they chose not to tell people about. They were told the bad news and decided not to tell Australians anything about it but to try to skate through.

So, yes, when we're talking about workforce, there are different numbers for different things, and the 869 was for—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The deputy leader on a point of order?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, Mr Speaker. The question was: was the member for Hotham wrong or was—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. Thank you for the point of order. There is no point of order. The minister is referring to the question regarding numbers, the relevant answer regarding last week and the reference to the former shadow minister.

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So, yes, the number is still 869, it was also 869 when you didn't do anything about it, and it is thousands when we add the 200 care minutes, which is the other commitment that we speak about often. The thing to note when they ask us perplexedly where these workers are going to come from is that it is a problem that you chose to do nothing about. You had this problem for years and years and years. It's probably worth asking at this point, when we talk about aged-care workforce shortages, where it all stemmed from. It stemmed from December 2013, when one of the first actions of the Abbott government was to cut the aged-care workforce compact.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the minister completed her answer?

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I haven't.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order from the Manager of Opposition Business?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the new minister should not be using the term 'you'. That's a reference to you as the Speaker.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for that point. That is creeping into question time. I ask the minister to refrain from using that term and to return to the question.

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If that's the most searing critique of me that they have when talking about aged-care workforce shortages, it says a lot about what they did with their time.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will return to the question.

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll return to the question. When we talk about workforce shortages, this started in December 2013, when one of the very first acts of the Abbott government was to suspend standing orders in the House to cut the aged-care workforce compact, which was one of the first things that cut workers rights and put us on this track. Who was the health minister at that very moment when standing orders were suspended? It was the now Leader of the Opposition. He is the one who was the health minister when they suspended standing orders to cut the aged-care workforce compact, which is one of the things that set us on this path to terrible workforce shortages.

We're upfront about this. It will require thousands of workers to come back online to fix the problem. That's why we're trying to give them a pay rise. We will need 869 nurses to meet our 24/7 nursing requirement. That is the question you asked me on Thursday. That is the question I answered. I think, Mr Speaker, you said, 'Want a different answer? Ask different question.' That was the number, broadly, as you well know from the secret report that you chose to do nothing about. Thousands of personal carers, thousands of kitchen staff and thousands of other staff in aged care are going to be required to get to what at the end of the day is talking about a better standard of care. They are quibbling over how we work to get a better standard of care and, really, after nine years of neglect, a better standard can't come soon enough. (Time expired)