Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I think, when most of us think about aged care, we tend to think about residential care, and people are often surprised when they discover that only five per cent of Australians over the age of 65 actually live in residential aged care. We know that most people want to live in their own home, and we want to support people to stay in their own homes. In order to do so, we are increasing the number of home-care packages, with an additional 80,000 over the next 10 years.

Crucially, these packages will all have to be delivered according to consumer-directed care, meaning that consumers will be at the centre and in control. That is the way that a system of care should be, and in the other part of my portfolio, with the NDIS, that is very much the case—the individual at the centre, in charge and directing their dollars to the service providers of their choice. I should indicate that we will be monitoring these changes very carefully. (Time expired)