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

By that government—yes, exactly. That is my point, Senator Humphries. You knew back then that this operator needed to be monitored closely. I need to confirm this with Senator Ellison, but from answers given in question time today it seems quite clear to me that from 2003 through to 2007 there has been one unannounced spot check. That is what I learnt at question time today. If that is incorrect, I really do ask you to correct it, but if there has only been one unannounced spot check from 2003 to 2007 the government need to tell us what they have been doing to ensure the wellbeing of the residents of Belvedere Park.

On 15 August 2007, following that very lengthy audit, Belvedere Park was found not to be meeting 42 out of 44 outcome areas. I have never seen a report that was that bad—hence my anger. This government has known that this facility should have been monitored far more closely. As you know, Mr Deputy President, the government is responsible for the standards of care in Australia’s aged-care facilities. I have called on Minister Pyne to explain how the conditions of this facility could be so bad despite the fact that the government has known since at least 2000 that Mr Graeme Menere had an appalling record for aged-care provision. These problems have not occurred just overnight. A showering seat does not become rusty in a short period of time. These things take time and require appropriate monitoring to ensure that the residents’ welfare is paramount.

How many spot checks has Belvedere had since it was sanctioned three times in 2000? What measures did the government take to ensure that Mr Graeme Menere, a disqualified individual, was not involved in the day-to-day running of Belvedere? Has Mr Menere been involved in the day-to-day running of the home? How many complaints has the government received about the home? When were they and what did the government do about them? When did Saitta, the company which owns Belvedere, receive its approved provider status? That is very important. And will Minister Pyne rule out Mr Graeme Menere operating nursing homes in the future? I asked those questions almost a month ago. Minister Pyne has declined to answer them.

Confidence in Australia’s aged-care system has been severely threatened. We have to be absolutely sure that all aged-care facilities are providing the quality of care that Australians expect of our 3,000-odd aged-care facilities. The concern is very much felt by many aged-care facilities which are doing the very best that they can to provide quality care. Quality aged-care providers hate it when something like this is exposed because, in the community’s mind, trust in our aged-care system generally is questioned. Everybody is concerned that the level of care which is being provided in all of the other aged-care facilities is up to scratch. So it is in the interests not only of those older people who live in aged-care facilities; it is also in the interests of the community at large and the aged-care sector that we have an efficient, effective and quality management and monitoring system. It is in all our interests that poor aged-care providers are weeded out. That is what we have to ensure so that confidence in aged care can be restored.

Unfortunately, this is not the only example we have had where an individual who is an approved provider has been operating aged care outside of the act. In 1999 Kerry and Malcolm Bishop, Queensland aged-care providers, were convicted of defrauding the Commonwealth of $139,000 in aged-care subsidies and were jailed. Today they are operating nursing homes in two states of this country and receiving almost $16 million every year in subsidies. When those two individuals were jailed, they simply transferred the ownership of the companies, the approved provider status and the key personnel status to their children. But it is alleged that Mrs Bishop, in particular, is still operating aged-care facilities in Australia. This government has to be drawn to account with respect to these two cases—not just the case in Brisbane, which is of concern, but on behalf of the 25 people who have been living in what can only be described as horror in that aged-care facility in Victoria. This government has a responsibility to ensure that all of the almost 170,000 people who live in aged care—and their families—are confident that they are receiving the sort of care we all expect they should receive.