Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

The Aged Care Act and the aged-care principles set out the process for the places for allocation under the ACAR round. It consists of three clear steps: (1) the creation of a number of places in each jurisdiction by the minister, using the government's targeted aged-care planning ratios; (2) the targeting of places to special needs; and (3) key issue groups in each state and territory, determined by the secretary and the secretary's allocation of those places to specific providers after a competitive selection process is conducted.

In the 2016-17 ACAR round, over 45,000 residential places were sought, and so 10,000 new residential places were allocated. That means that, for every 4.5 applications that were put in, there was one place, so it's a very competitive process. The year before, there were 3.6 applications for every place allocated, so we have increased it. Therefore, this year, we allocated places worth $649 million and nearly 500 restorative care beds, worth $34 million, and we have recently provided $64 million in capital grants.

The act provides for this process, and this ensures that a large amount of the funding it provides is allocated, and it's allocated in a rigorous, fair and impartial manner. The minister, the minister's office or any other parliamentarian do not have a role in the assessment of the allocation process. The act establishes this as a function of the department. The ACAR— (Time expired)