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

Thank you, Mr President. I appreciate that additional time so that I can continue that answer, which I believe is in fact very relevant. As I have sought to inform the Senate from time to time, when I have been asked questions such as the one that I have been asked today by Senator McLucas, there are 3,000 aged care facilities within this country and, at any time, any 300 or 400—and I do not mind saying this to the Senate—will be not in compliance with one of the 44 outcomes. What happens in that particular case is that the agents of the department go in and ask the provider to show cause as to why action should not be taken against them.

What then happens is that a report is provided to the agents of the department and, if the action proposed is to the satisfaction of the agents of the department, the matter is considered to be under close scrutiny but closed for the purposes of whatever further action. What is happening in this place day after day is that the opposition senators pick an obscure event which—