Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Improving the quality and safety of our aged-care system is a top priority for the Morrison government. Today I was pleased to stand with the Prime Minister to announce significant investments which form part of our continuing reforms to the aged-care system. Today we announced that we will deliver a $537 million funding package as an immediate response to the interim report across the three identified priority areas that the royal commission called us to act on. This includes: a $496.4 million package for an additional 10,000 home care packages to be rolled out from 1 December 2019; $25.5 million to improve medical management programs to reduce the use of medication as a chemical restraint on aged-care residents at home; and new restrictions and education for prescribers on the use of medication as a chemical restraint. We're also delivering a $10 million package for additional dementia training and support for aged-care workers and providers, including to reduce the use of chemical restraint, and investing $4.7 million to help meet new targets to remove younger people with disabilities from residential aged care.

The royal commission's interim report is very clear: as a country, a government, an aged-care sector and an entire community, we can and must do better in providing improved support for our older Australians. These measures will complement the major reforms the Morrison government have been undertaking to improve standards, oversight, funding and transparency of the care of older Australians. We will unify the Home Care Packages Program and the Commonwealth Home Support Program in line with the royal commission's direction to deliver a seamless system of care, tailoring services to the needs of the individual. These changes will be guided by the final recommendations of the commission and will give the goal of improving care and ending the wait for home care packages.