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

I'm happy to withdraw my amendment on sheet 3157. I move the amendment, standing in my name, on sheet 3122:

(1) Clause 5, page 3 (after line 26), after paragraph 5(d), insert:

(da) ensure individuals over the age of 65 with disability receive daily living supports and outcomes comparable to those that would be available under the National Disability Insurance Scheme to a person under the age of 65; and

The aged-care royal commission made a powerful statement that people with disability receiving aged care should receive daily living supports and outcomes equivalent to those that would be available under the NDIS. That's clearly not happening currently. As I spoke about yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting two Canberrans for whom this inequality is a reality on a daily basis: Lorraine, who suffered a spinal cord injury over the age 65, and Peter, her husband, who supports her every single day.

Peter is 86 next month, and he worries that he will soon no longer be able to help his wife get into bed in the evening. But he's got no choice because, through the home-care system—which is soon to be the Support at Home system—they cannot get the support Lorraine needs in the evening. My amendment on sheet 3122 won't mandate that people receive the same supports as they do in the NDIS but sets the objective that it is something we need to take seriously. It also recognises that the aged-care system is the system for people who become disabled over the age of 65. Currently, that's not entirely clear, but, in practice, it is the system and has to deliver for older Australians with disabilities like spinal cord injuries.

Minister, I have a couple of questions before we get to a vote on this amendment. What is the government's position on recommendation 67 of the aged-care royal commission? Does the government accept the recommendation? If so, how does the government intend to see it implemented?