David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move my amendments (1) to (3) on sheet 3097 together:

(1) Clause 338, page 348 (after line 20), after the paragraph beginning "The System Governor". insert:

The System Governor must provide quarterly reports to the Minister on the duration of waiting periods for certain funded aged care services.

(2) Page 353 (after line 3), after clause 342, insert:

342A Quarterly reporting on waiting periods for certain funded aged care services

(1) Subject to subsection (4), the System Governor must give the Minister a written report, within 28 days after the end of each quarter, on the duration of waiting periods for non-specialist funded aged care services.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the report must include the following information:

(a) the number of applications for non-specialist funded aged care services made under subsection 56(1) for which a decision under subsection 57(1) has not been made, including applications made during that quarter and previous quarters;

(b) the average number of days between the date of an application for non-specialist funded aged care services being made under subsection 56(1) and the commencement of the provision of non-specialist funded aged care services, where those services commenced in the quarter;

(c) the median number of days between the date of an application for non-specialist funded aged care services being made under subsection 56(1) and the commencement of the provision of non-specialist funded aged care services, where those services commenced in the quarter;

(d) an assessment of the differences in the time taken between application and the commencement of services as a result of whether the non-specialist funded aged care service was delivered in an approved residential care home or a home or community setting;

(e) an assessment of the differences in the time taken between application and the commencement of services as a result of the State or Territory in which the non-specialist funded aged care service was delivered;

(f) an assessment of the differences in the time taken between application and the commencement of services as a result of the local region in which the non-specialist funded aged care service was delivered;

(g) any other matter prescribed by the rules.

(3) The System Governor must publish the report on the Department's website as soon as practicable after it is given to the Minister.

(4) If this section commences during a quarter (but not on the first day of the quarter):

(a) no report is to be made at the end of the quarter; but

(b) the report made at the end of the next quarter is also to include the information about the duration of waiting periods for non-specialist funded aged care services that occurred in the previous quarter.

(5) In this section:

local region has the meaning prescribed by the rules.

non-specialist funded aged care service means a funded aged care service other than a service delivered under a specialist aged care program.

quarter means a period of 3 months starting on any of the following dates in a year:

(a) 1 January;

(b) 1 April;

(c) 1 July;

(d) 1 October.

(3) Clause 601, page 559 (after line 20), after subparagraph 601(1A)(b)(v), insert:

(va) the expansion of regular reporting on the duration of waiting periods for funded aged care services to cover specialist aged care programs;

These amendments provide some structural transparency around waiting times in the aged-care system. Crucially, they would allow us, every quarter, to see how waiting lists are tracking across the country, from the time people put in an application until the first service commences. We know that this is an issue both here in the ACT and across the country in various communities, and up until this point the only way to find out about it was through the estimates process. It's my hope that more transparency will allow us to pick up on issues and provide them to the government.

We can't underestimate the toll that long waiting times for support can have on senior Australians. When we don't step in with timely support, people are at risk of losing confidence or injuring themselves. They end up in our hospital system or in residential care long before they need to. It's not a good outcome for anyone, but I accept that there is a lot of work to do to lower the waiting times

I thank the government and opposition. In particular, I would like to thank the team in Minister Wells's office and Senator Ruston's office for their advice with these amendments.