Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation (Senator Wong), the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Senator Ludwig) and the Minister for Human Services (Senator Kim Carr) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

I will start with Minister Ludwig. In fairness, Minister, what a pathetic answer! You did not even give me an answer. I asked you a simple question—that is, when will the government be responding to the Productivity Commission? Despite the promise that was made by Prime Minister Gillard that aged care reform would be a second-term priority and despite the promise made by then Minister Roxon on the same day, when they both attended the New South Wales nurses' conference, that a response would be provided quickly, we are still waiting. Older Australians are still waiting for a response to understand what this reform could mean to them.

In the time available to me let us just look at the record of the Rudd-Gillard government on ageing. It was, in one word: neglect—absolute neglect.