Santo Santoro (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Humphries for his question. I understand why he has asked it. He probably heard the rumour that the ALP had released its long-awaited policy paper on ageing and aged care—the one that Barry Jones in fact promised in July this year. Naturally, I was very interested. I went to the ALP website. I noticed that that policy cupboard was empty as far as aged care was concerned, as has been the case now for many years. As far as Senator McLucas was concerned, there was no policy paper on aged care on the ALP website. But then I did find the paper by going to Senator McLucas’s website. I started to ask myself: why isn’t this paper on the official ALP website? Why is it that the Labor leader and the executive of the caucus do not have sufficient confidence in this paper for it to be on the ALP website? It is obvious: they do not have confidence in a policy paper that does not exist. Senator McLucas should not take this as a personal snub, because Senator Carr is also in the same position. His policy paper also does not make it onto the ALP website.