Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I reject Senator Fielding’s contention. This government has invested more than $900 million over the next four years. It is about a national aged-care system. It is about ensuring more high-quality aged-care workers. It is about ensuring more aged-care places. It is about ensuring greater protection for older Australians receiving care. The package will also support the integration of aged-care systems with local hospital networks. It is about ensuring that we do provide the integration that is necessary across both aged care and the local hospital networks through the government’s National Health and Hospital Network. This government does have a plan to support those in aged-care facilities. Why? Because older Australians do require our assistance. This investment builds on the commitment to maintain the conditional adjustment payment in the forward estimates. That is worth $2.3 billion over the next four years. (Time expired)