Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate that and hope that they will come to order and listen as I respond. I reject those outrageous allegations entirely. On the Howard government record, I say yes, perhaps it was not perfect, but, with respect to the efforts to support aged care, they were on the record. For the 11½ years from 1996, they improved. What has happened in the last two years? This is why I say to the Labor Party, particularly in Tasmania and Western Australia: they are doing it tough. There is an aged-care crisis and the Labor senators and members in Tasmania are not listening. The problem with Senator Polley is that she has been embarrassed by a letter to the editor in her own newspaper, the Examiner, from Mr Dick James, the president of the Australian Independent Retirees. He made certain comments about aged care being in crisis and called Senator Polley to account. She was no doubt embarrassed by that letter because she knows that she has to stand up for aged care. That letter is on the public record in the local Examiner newspaper.

She accuses me of being silent with respect to aged care. What rubbish! She accuses me of doing nothing about aged care since 2002. She knows full well that I was a board member of St Ann’s for over eight years, and I have a heart for aged care and for elderly Tasmanians and elderly Australians. I will not take those allegations; I reject them outright. I stand in this place saying I am a proud supporter of the aged-care sector, as are those coalition members on this side of the chamber and as are those in the former Howard government. Yes, we were not perfect—we did not get everything right—but at least we got it so much better than what is happening at the moment. We know for sure that there is a crisis in aged care at the moment.

How many licences have been taken up? Today the minister was unable to answer those questions. How many licences have been given back? That question was asked today. These are fundamental and very basic concerns for the aged care sector, and the minister could not answer them. The minister said, ‘No, I can’t answer it; I’ll take it on notice.’ He should know exactly. We will be watching carefully with respect to his response to that because the proof of the pudding is in the eating. That is the evidence, and the evidence says that the aged care industry is in crisis. That is what it is saying. Senator Judith Adams and Senator Williams have made this point very clear and I wanted to make it clear.

Those allegations by Senator Polley about me being silent or doing nothing on aged care are absolute rubbish. She is responding to this letter in the Examiner and is clearly very embarrassed. Of the 131 new residential aged-care places made available to Tasmania in the 2008-09 ACA round, only 89 were taken up—a shortfall of 42. There is the evidence for Tassie. We know Western Australia is equally hurting, as are other states and territories around the country. The Rudd government simply do not get it, and that is why I asked, ‘Are you listening?’ What they have had is a number of reviews. They have had review after review. They have the Productivity Commission review; they have the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission review.

And then they talk about Dr Frank Madill, the chairman of the Presbyterian Homes for the Aged. He presented me with the petition to present in this parliament to say how concerned they are with the funding for aged care. Why would they ask me? Why wouldn’t they ask their local member, the Labor member for Bass? Why wouldn’t they ask her? Because they are too embarrassed. So they came to me, and I presented it. Those opposite should support that petition and support the aged-care sector, and they know full well that they should support it. (Time expired)