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

The government won't be supporting this amendment. The public, through tax revenue and other sources of income, provide $39 billion worth of funding or investment into aged care. The Commonwealth will still be, by far, the main contributor to the aged-care system, as it should be, but we believe in the capacity for individuals to make contributions, where they can afford to do so. These are modest contributions and they are heavily means-tested, as they should be, as appropriate, and clinical care and those key features of the health system remain free under all circumstances. So as you say, under those conditions the public should provide the support, but we do believe, in the interests of the sustainability and viability of this sector, there's a need to introduce modest contributions.

This is something that has been discussed and consulted upon, including through the Aged Care Taskforce. It has included providers and consumers, and consumers have been very supportive of the vast majority of this bill. I think we have worked with the opposition carefully to consider impacts on individuals and to make sure the contributions arrangements that are put in place are carefully thought through and that individual's incomes, including those currently in the system, are accommodated and taken care of.