Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care. Already, 23 aged-care homes have closed under this government, compared to 300 that were opened under the former coalition government. This follows the Albanese Labor government's decision to implement the royal commission's recommendations and impose rigid constraints on the sector. Will the government now make a commitment to expanding the exemption criteria until the current workforce crisis has been addressed?

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

I cannot believe that those opposite, of all weeks, would choose this week to try to lecture the government on management and funding of the aged-care system and to suggest, to dare to criticise us for trying to pull every single lever we have at our disposal to try and lift the standard of aged care as quickly as humanly possible—to walk into this chamber and criticise us for trying to take that action to lift the standard of care for residents. It is unfathomable that they have learnt nothing. After neglecting the sector for nine long years, they walk in now and criticise the people left cleaning up their mess.

It's a workforce crisis that was formed on their watch. It's a workforce crisis that has taken 12 months to address through working on migration settings with the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister for Skills and Training, the Minister for Education, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. Every single minister has had to spend time cleaning up their mess to address the crisis in aged care. And they've seriously walked in today to say, 'You're doing it too fast. You're cleaning up the mess too quickly. How dare you try and address a crisis in an urgent manner.' Unbelievable! Yet here we are, after 12 months, with them having learned nothing.

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

The minister will resume her seat. The member for Gellibrand is warned. The member for Deakin, the member for Moncrieff, the member for New England and the member for Banks are continually interjecting. You are not sitting in your correct seats, so if you do that one more time you will be removed. I will give the call to the member for Durack.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, on relevance. The whole of Australia wants to know: is the government going to expand the exemption criteria? Can the minister please address that issue.

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

The question contained information regarding the royal commission and the issue of aged-care facilities being closed. I'll ask the minister to return to the question. She is being relevant. I will listen carefully for the remaining half of her answer.

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

I agree the whole of Australia wants us to fix aged care. That, I agree with. I agree the whole of Australia went to the election last year and voted for a government that would actually take the aged-care crisis seriously. That, I agree with. I agree that the whole of Australia considered the two offerings from each of the two parties of government and said, 'We trust Labor to address this crisis and to try and lift the standard of aged care in this country.'

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do your job!

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

Having had 15 long months with the final report of the royal commission into aged care, having chosen to address only nine of 148 recommendations, when the opposition raises the 24/7 nursing policy, they don't have a stance on a 24/7 nursing policy. They don't have a position on 24/7 nurses. They walk in here, having not used 15 months to address the problem and still do not have a position on an aged-care 24/7 nursing policy. They didn't do it. They didn't fund it. They didn't roll it out. They didn't address the workforce crisis that dawned on their watch.

We are addressing a workforce crisis that stems from 2017, $2.5 billion worth of funding cuts that they chose to make, which set in place a rolling crisis of neglect, addressed by a royal commission. Even now, they walk into this chamber and say, 'We see that you are urgently acting to address the crisis. How dare you do it so quickly? How dare you act so quickly?' (Time expired)

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

The member for Deakin was continually interjecting during that answer. He will leave the chamber under 94(a).