Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to contribute to the debate today, as this bill covers important, once-in-a-generation reform of Australia's aged-care system. As the Chair of the Community Affairs Legislation Committee during the 46th Parliament, I take a particular interest in a bill that affects senior Australians and their needs.

The opposition support this bill, the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022, as it is a revised version of the royal commission response bill that the coalition introduced in the last parliament. Essentially, it mirrors the legislation already discussed in this chamber. We also support the delivery of the second stage of critical aged-care reform that was started by the coalition in government in response to the royal commission's final report. What disappoints me about this bill is that the Albanese government could have saved senior Australians and the aged-care industry undue stress by passing these reforms when our bill was before the previous parliament. Interestingly, one of the major election promises of Labor during the federal election campaign was to support aged-care residents. I would argue that making them wait extra time for the introduction of such important reforms is not supportive at all. In fact, the government's treatment of older Australians since the election has been very disappointing. Free rapid antigen tests are no longer available for aged-care homes experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, and the government has backflipped on its decision not to extend the critical COVID support provided by the Australian Defence Force. More support for aged-care providers was promised but nothing has eventuated as yet.

Like the coalition's 2021 aged-care bill, this bill will replace the outdated Aged Care Funding Instrument with the Australian National Aged Care Classification, AN-ACC, residential aged-care funding model from 1 October this year. However, by delaying the passage of this bill the government has now restricted the time available for aged-care providers to transition to this new AN-ACC funding model. This delay has done absolutely nothing to support or help the aged-care sector or any of the senior Australians in residential care.

I'm also disappointed to see that, in addition to delaying this time-critical legislation, the government has removed the worker screening regulations that were contained in the coalition's bill. These were important regulatory arrangements that were supported by the sector. The royal commission recommended stronger regulation of the personal care workforce to increase protection for senior Australians and reduce the risks posed by unacceptable workers. Our bill responded to recommendation 77 from the royal commission, which called for an authority that would conduct pre-employment screening for aged-care workers and those responsible for governance of approved suppliers. Our approach applied to employment across the care and support sectors, incorporating aged care, disability support and veterans care. This approach included using a national database of cleared and excluded people to support those making employment decisions. It is clear the government has bowed to the unions by removing this specific schedule on worker screening within the bill. The government must stand up to the unions and implement good policies to protect the rights of care sector workers by allowing the establishment of a database for all care workers that is consistent at a national level. One database across the care sector would have simplified processes for employers and made it easier for NDIS, aged and veteran carers to move between caring roles in these sectors. It also would have protected aged-care residents and given providers the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their employees are fit to care for older Australians. Instead, this bill, and the remaining protections it introduces for those in aged care, has been delayed for no good reason.

Under the coalition government the number of home-care packages and residential care packages rose every year, and funding for aged care rose too. The 2022-23 budget included $522 million in funding for aged-care reform, which built on the $18.3 billion committed in the 2021-22 budget and the 2021-22 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook. That brought the total investment in aged care in response to the royal commission to over $19 billion. We on this side of the chamber remain committed to providing senior Australians with the support they need to stay in their own home for longer, as evidenced by our term in government. I mentioned that the number of home-care packages rose every year under the coalition; more specifically, these home-care packages had increased from 60,308 in 2012-13 under Labor to a projected 275,597 in 2024-25, an increase of 357 per cent. Additionally, in February this year the coalition government announced that eligible aged-care workers would be paid a bonus of up to $800. The aged-care workforce retention bonus benefited 265,000 workers in the sector and was the fourth workforce bonus.

The opposition will be keeping a close eye on upcoming aged-care reform introduced by the Albanese government, to ensure that appropriate regulatory provisions are introduced and that those who exhibit poor conduct in the aged-care sector are held to account. We listened to the experiences of those who gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and we took decisive action to implement the recommendations and introduce reforms that delivered vital support and improved quality of care within the sector.