Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Sport. How will the Albanese Labor government's historic aged-care reforms deliver dignity and quality to aged care?

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

I thank the member for his question and for the way he never stops fighting for older people in his electorate. The royal commission found that previous governments had brought an appalling level of ambivalence, timidity and detachment to their approach to aged care. That ended with the election of the Albanese government. From day 1, we took action. The very first act of the 47th parliament was passing aged-care reform legislation, beginning the process of putting security, dignity, quality and humanity back into aged care.

Because of these reforms right now, there is a registered nurse onsite in aged care 99 per cent of the time, or 23½ hours out of 24 in Australia. Older Australians are receiving an additional 3.9 million minutes of care every single day, 1.7 million of which are delivered by a qualified and registered nurse. There have been statistically significant decreases in the proportion of residents experiencing polypharmacy, antipsychotic medication use, falls that result in major injury, use of physical restraints, significant unplanned weight loss and consecutive unplanned weight loss. For the first time, the prevalence of one or more pressure injuries is declining over time. We have made aged care more transparent, with star ratings for residential care empowering older people and their families to make informed decisions. We have increased government investment in residential aged care by 58 per cent, and we've delivered a $15.1 billion pay rise for aged-care workers. The addition of the Dollars to Care program to start-rating profiles hold providers accountable for the way they spend their budgets.

Of course, this week, the parliament passed our historic, rights based Aged Care Bill, the most significant aged-care reform in 30 years. From 1 July 2025, the new act will create a rights based, person-centred aged-care system. The Albanese government will deliver 107,000 packages in the next two years, a record number and the largest-ever release of home-care packages. Here's how the industry has responded. The Council on the Ageing has said that the act will deliver long-awaited rights for older people that put their voices front and centre. The Older Persons Advocacy Network said that this act will build a safe, high-quality, financially viable aged-care sector for generations to come. RSL LifeCare said the new act is a pivotal moment for veterans and seniors in Australia, ensuring the care of providers not only meets expectations but empowers individuals to live with greater choice. Catholic Health welcome the seminal reform, which will help deliver quality and sustainable aged care for all Australians.