Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There have been 457 aged-care residents who have died—older Australians with families, friends, children and grandchildren—and there are loved ones who are grieving. What is happening in our aged-care homes is a national tragedy and a national disgrace. The Morrison government has no plan to address the crisis in aged care. The Morrison government needs to fix the home-care crisis now. The reality of this government's aged-care mess means the waiting time to receive high-level care at home is almost three years.

At the front line of this crisis are the workers. When they show up for a shift, they deserve to know that there will be adequate protective equipment for them. They shouldn't have to choose which hand to put a glove on. They deserve training in infection control for their protection and for the protection of those they care for. And yet, as the Herald Sun today reported, federal aged-care authorities are in the dark over whether staff are working at more than one home. This is despite a report, A matter of care: Australia's aged care workforce strategy, delivered to this government two years ago which recommended a national database of workers. Such a database would help aged-care authorities to monitor whether aged-care workers are working at more than one home. During a pandemic, this is invaluable information. Many aged-care workers work at multiple aged-care facilities and, unfortunately, have spread the virus. They felt they could not call in sick if they felt unwell. In fact, some were told they must come to work even if they were sick. This is a broken system. And this government has sat on that report, instead of taking action.

It is so clear. The warnings were there, but there are still no answers from Senator Colbeck. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety's interim report, entitled Neglect, was tabled on 31 October 2019. That report found that the aged-care system fails to meet the needs of its older vulnerable citizens. In Darwin, in the Northern Territory, powerful evidence was heard about the stark challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This included challenges of poverty, food insecurity, difficulties accessing services, lack of culturally safe and secure services and distance from services. Overall, the report found that a fundamental overhaul of the design objectives, regulation and funding of aged care in Australia is required. It does not deliver uniformly safe and quality care, it is unkind and uncaring towards older people and, in too many instances, it neglects them.

First Nations people look at our old people as our elders. We treat them with utmost respect, knowing that they carry a wealth of knowledge of our stories—our stories as a people, our stories as a family. Today, we heard that 457 elders of our Australian community have died. Still, we do not see any accountability with this government. There are no changes in the care for our elder Australians. There is no care, despite the desperate need for what has to happen now. There isn't even the recognition of what they could have done so much sooner. The warnings were definitely there.

Aged care is a federal responsibility full-stop. This government has withheld support from the sector. Those opposite are responsible for aged care and they haven't protected our elders from this coronavirus. Scott Morrison has no plan to address the crisis in aged care. Anthony Albanese does have a plan. It includes the introduction of minimum staffing levels, adequate supplies of personal protective equipment and better training for staff on infection control, as well as a better surge workforce strategy. The Australian public has lost confidence in Senator Colbeck.