Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

There have been 328 deaths from COVID in aged care, and the vast majority are from my home state of Victoria. Every one of those people was someone who was loved: a parent, a grandparent a friend, a neighbour. This is a tragedy. I help care for my elderly mother, who lives alone, so I can just imagine the worry of having loved ones so vulnerable in aged-care homes, and my heart just breaks for all those who have lost loved ones in this crisis. My mother struggles living alone, especially during the lockdown that we're currently in, but she's so glad at this time that she's not in an aged-care home and she worries so much about her friends who are. It's such an awful situation for our elderly, their families and our society to be in.

So many of the people who have died should not have died. They have died because of mismanagement. It is an absolute scandal that private aged-care providers are making megaprofits while failing to protect their residents. Privatisation has failed. It's created a casualised workforce, it's put workers at risk and it's put residents at risk, all for corporate profits. The Greens are calling for an urgent $3 billion injection into aged care for a human rights approach to aged care, with increased hours of care, increased staff, a minimum of one registered nurse rostered on 24/7 in each facility and additional home care packages so people can stay in their own homes for longer. The government must acknowledge that it has failed when it comes to aged care and take the action that is required now so that our precious older Australians can feel loved and supported and safe.