Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I start speaking on the Aged Care and other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022, please note this is not my first speech.

I am proud to stand here in this place as a member of the United Workers Union, a union which represents incredible hardworking and professional aged-care workers. In my previous role as an organiser, I have heard stories—countless stories—of members witnessing firsthand some of the worst crises facing the care sector today. Aged-care workers have been overworked, underpaid and undervalued, like other care industries which are highly diverse and feminised. These sectors were in crisis even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the last two years have put extraordinary pressure on staff, who have been at the forefront of the pandemic, resulting in a worsening of staff shortages and increased pressures on workers and the families who rely on these services—all at a time of record low wage growth. They are struggling to cope. They are suffering from a lack of staff, lack of care time, lack of recognition and lack of respect for their skills and experiences, and, to top it all, poor wages. They are pushed to the limit to cover extra duties due to shortages of skilled staff.

I heard Marina Webb cry as she exclaimed: 'We have no time available to provide residents with social and emotional support. We cut corners with the quality care they deserve. It's heartbreaking.' Aged-care workers find themselves sacrificing their own quality family time as they work two or three jobs during the week and all weekend to ensure they make ends meet and put food on the table for their families. They deserve better.

After 48 years as an aged-care worker, Jude Clarke is tired of the jobs cut, hours cut, workloads increased, a high turnover of staff, less care hours and more profits for CEOs—shame! She believes workers and the elderly they take care of deserve respect, dignity and time: 'The residents should never be hurried or told to wait because I'm too busy. We as workers deserve more time to say our hellos and our last goodbyes. Sometimes we are the only family that the residents have. Is that too much to ask for?' They deserve better.

After being assaulted by a high-care dementia resident, Emma Bowers was left traumatised and could not return to work. Even though the cut had healed, the damage was done. She recalls: 'I was tending to a male patient in the high-care dementia ward at an aged-care facility which I was assaulted. Hit on the head, I only realised I was injured when I saw blood flowing down my face. My initial thought of concern was towards the resident to make sure he was safe and not hurt. This was due to the understaffing of that facility. If we had enough staff that night, we would not be put in situations where our health and safety is at risk.' They deserve better.

These workers have advocated and fought the good fight of recognition, dignity and a day's fair pay. We joined thousands of aged-care workers across the country in walking off the job on Tuesday 10 May with the United Workers Union, across the nation, just before the election, taking action for improved conditions, a good pay rise and increased care time.

There has been a decade of neglect by successive Liberal governments who have overseen understaffing, low pay and insecure work for these overwhelmingly female workforces. The previous Morrison government neglected older Australians and the aged-care system. It's a national disgrace. Just as the workers deserve better, so do older Australians. They helped build this country. They worked hard, paid their taxes and raised their families. They deserve better. The previous government did not support them but this Albanese government will. Both workers and older Australians deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Aged-care workers regularly report that in some cases just one staff member has been left to take care of up to 40 residents. Inadequate staffing means dedicated nurses and care workers are forced to make heartbreaking decisions every day about who will receive care now and who will have to wait. Too often residents are being left in soiled pads, waiting too long when they call for assistance and not being helped to go to the toilet in time. Avoidable falls, substandard care and accidents are way too common, and it needs to stop. People are also missing out on regular showers, or require assistance to eat or a helping hand to call family and friends through phone calls or video calls.

The royal commission concluded that the aged-care workforce was the foundation of any successful reform in aged care. They said that high-quality aged care 'cannot be achieved without having enough staff'. The Albanese Labor government will take practical measures to ensure that older Australians receive the aged care they deserve and to address the structural problems facing the care sector. That includes registered nurses on site 24/7. Under an Albanese Labor government, every aged-care facility will be required to have a registered, qualified nurse on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will save thousands of stressful, expensive and, ultimately, unnecessary trips to hospital emergency departments for issues a nurse could solve on the spot. More carers with more time is what we're calling for. Labor will raise the standard of aged care across the board by ensuring there are more carers who have more time to care. We will mandate that every Australian living in aged care receives an average of 215 minutes of care per day, as recommended by the royal commission. That means more care for every resident every day—not just essential medical treatment but basic, important things, like helping people take a shower, getting people dressed or helping them eat a nutritious meal.

Labor will see a pay rise for aged-care workers. We will back a real pay rise for aged-care workers, and we will support workers' calls at the Fair Work Commission for better pay. The Labor government will fund the outcome of this case because, if we want high standards of care, we need to support higher wages for our carers in order to provide safe, quality care to a growing number of older Australians. We will also ensure that there's better food for residents. Since the aged care royal commission was called, we've heard one shocking example after another of outrageous and unacceptable breaches of care standards, including homes re-serving uneaten food from one resident, pureed, to other residents; delays in identifying and treating wounds, leading to severe pain and chronic conditions; overuse of restraints; demeaning practices such as 'floor time'; management ignoring family complaints; and failures in maintaining clinical standards and audits.

The aged-care sector is one which the public believe lacks transparency around taxpayer funding. A recent report found that just 16 per cent of people thought it was open and transparent. There have been too many high-profile stories of dodgy providers misusing funds meant for the care of older Australians. Older Australians need a government that isn't afraid to put the dodgy providers on notice and to take a tough stance on protecting their safety. The Albanese Labor government will ensure that there is better food for residents of aged-care homes and we will work with the sector to develop and implement mandatory nutrition standards for aged-care homes to ensure every resident gets good food.

In regard to dollars going to care, Labor will make residential care providers report in public and in detail what they're spending money on, and we will give the aged-care safety commissioner new powers to ensure there is accountability and integrity. The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022 will see the establishment of a new code of conduct that will set high standards of behaviour for aged-care workers, approved providers and governing persons of approved providers to ensure they are delivering aged care in a way that is safe, competent and respectful. The bill will ensure improved information sharing between care and support sector regulators will enable proactive monitoring cross-sector risks and better protection of consumers and participants from harm. The bill also includes a series of measures that provide greater transparency and accountability for providers. Star ratings will be published for all residential aged-care services on My Aged Care by the end of 2022, and those star ratings will enable senior Australians, their families and carers to make informed decisions about aged care.

After a decade of neglect, aged-care workers and older Australians deserve better. Labor has a plan to put security, dignity and quality back into aged care. Only the Albanese Labor government will treat aged-care residents and workers with the respect they deserve. This government will fix aged care through practical measures—registered nurses on site 24/7, more carers with more care time, backing a pay rise for aged care workers, better food for residents, more dollars going into care, and more transparency and accountability. I have faith and confidence in the work of Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler and Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells. I am proud to be a member of the United Workers Union, which have been fighting for these changes, and I am proud of being part of a government that will ensure no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. I commend this bill to the Senate.

Debate interrupted.