Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Watt, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Morrison Government has announced it wants to privatise the Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) workforce from April 2021, when a tender will be put out for organisations to deliver this vital assessment,

  (ii) ACAT teams are currently based in hospitals across the country and are responsible for assessing which older Australians should receive government-funded care,

  (iii) the Morrison Government's plan could take away the jobs of over

1,000 qualified, experienced and highly-trained professionals across the country, and

  (iv) the Morrison Government's plan to privatise ACAT services is not supported by highly regarded experts, the sector or the states;

(b) strongly opposes:

  (i) the privatisation of the ACAT workforce, and

  (ii) any changes to the current qualification arrangements of the ACAT workforce; and

(c) condemns the Morrison Government for its continued piecemeal approach to aged care policy.