Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month, I was informed the much-loved Carinity Summit Cottages, the residential aged-care service at Mount Morgan, will close in December 2023. They advised the ongoing nationwide shortage of aged-care staff, combined with Mount Morgan's regional location, has made staffing the facility very difficult. Finding four full-time registered nurses and 6.5 full-time personal-care workers is impossible given the national workforce shortage, and this is forcing the imminent closure of this facility. A 95-year-old Mount Morgan lady's best friend of over 80 years is currently in the aged-care home at Mount Morgan. She says they're as close as sisters and they've always been there for each other. She cannot drive and she's very upset at the prospect of her friend being transferred to either Rockhampton or Gracemere, and she may never see her again. This is one of the many stories that we hear.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has revealed that over the next three months the aged-care sector is 8,100 nurses short of being able to meet the federal government's 24/7 staffing requirement. We know that some facilities already had to close, and many more are considering this option. The Labor government must understand that the one-size-fits-all model does not suit regional and rural Australia.