Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I indicated previously during my presentation, the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022 is an important piece of legislation. It's the second tranche of legislation in support of the reforms proposed by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. We will have Labor senators popping up and rewriting the history of progressing reform of the aged-care sector. But, as we've discussed, this legislation is essentially the same, except for a couple of points, to legislation that should have been passed prior to the election. The only thing that Labor has done at this point in time is delay the reform process, unfortunately, because there is no disagreement on either side of the chamber here that this is important.

That's why we called the royal commission. That's why we put up this piece of legislation. That's why I've made the comments that I have made. My comments are not about politics. They're about ensuring that senior Australians in residential aged care in this country get the care that they deserve, as proposed by the royal commission. So the government need to put back in the workforce registration scheme, which is the NDIS workforce registration system. They need to make sure that Indigenous Australians in aged care are protected in the same way that every other Australian in residential aged care is protected. They deserve no less. It's a very unfortunate omission. I don't understand why the government has made it. Maybe the Aboriginal community controlled organisations asked for it, but this reform is about the people receiving care. The providers will ask for a lot of things. We should be looking through the providers to the people in residential aged care. They are the ones that this is about. They are the ones who are important.

Unfortunately, the government are actually even winding back their own election commitments, because now, with the responsibility of government, they're realising the logistics and the realities of having to deliver those things.