Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

You're talking to one of those mad animal lovers here right now, so I completely understand individual's love for their pets and desire to remain connected to them as they age. Part of the whole reform piece here is about acknowledging that more older Australians are wanting to stay at home and have care and support at home. One of the reasons for this, though not the only reason, would be to remain connected to their animals. The decision around the service list has really been about, within the resources available, concentrating that support on the older person themselves. But we would hope, with the extra investment going in and people hopefully getting access to those supports earlier, that that may free up capacity within their home should they need to get a dog walker in or someone to do some of those other jobs and that would create space for that to happen. We totally recognise that that's a key priority for many older Australians.