Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aged Care, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Santoro, the Minister for Ageing. I refer the minister to my question yesterday about compliance with the 1999 fire safety standards for aged care facilities. Does the minister recall his answer when he said that there were only 10 nursing homes that did not meet these standards? Can the minister now confirm that this answer was completely wrong? Isn’t it actually the case that approximately 700 aged care facilities do not meet the 1999 fire safety standards? Wasn’t 31 December 2005 supposed to be the absolute deadline for compliance with these standards? What sanctions will be applied against those aged care facilities that still do not meet the fire safety standards? Can the minister absolutely unequivocally guarantee the safety of over 40,000 Australians who are residing in homes that do not meet fire safety standards?