Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Ageing, Senator Santoro. Will the minister outline to the Senate the measures that the government is introducing to further safeguard older people in residential aged care homes from sexual and serious physical assault? Also, will the minister inform the Senate of the reaction to these measures?

Santo Santoro (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Adams for her continued interest and support for what the government is doing in the area of aged care policies. I am pleased to announce that late last month I made public a $90 million package to further help protect and safeguard the welfare of our elderly citizens in government funded aged care facilities. Following instances of alleged and real abuse, sexual and physical, within Australia’s aged care facilities I committed that I would act as quickly as possible to make sure that the government did everything it possibly could in order to protect the elderly within our aged care facilities.

The reforms I announced included the creation of a new aged care commissioner, rigorous complaints investigation procedures, a regime of compulsory reporting of abuse, and legislative protection for whistleblowers. This follows on from my announcements earlier on, in April, of compulsory police checks for all aged care workers and also a significant increase in random, unannounced inspections of aged care facilities that are funded by the Commonwealth government. The opposition, including and in particular Senator McLucas, may be interested to learn that the increased inspections have already begun. In a media release that Senator McLucas put out she suggested that perhaps they had not begun, but for the month of July 106 random and unannounced inspections were in fact conducted.

These changes and the significant financial commitment of the federal government—a commitment that totals $90 million for the package I announced a couple of weeks ago and about $10 million for the package that I announced in April; that is, $100 million of new money outside of the budget cycle—demonstrate how seriously the government has taken the isolated but troubling revelations of abuse of our elderly within our aged care facilities.

Senator Adams also asked the very reasonable question of what reaction there had been to the measures that had been announced. I am heartened to inform the Senate that they have been warmly welcomed. I will give the Senate a few instances. Catholic Health CEO Francis Sullivan stated:

I think these measures will go a long way towards restoring confidence in the community that abuse will be addressed.

Lillian Jeter from the Elder Abuse Prevention Association said, ‘This is great news.’ By the way, Mr President, I had a very constructive meeting with representatives of all the elder abuse organisations. The AMA president, Dr Haikerwal, said that the package will provide comfort to aged care residents and their families. The National Seniors Association chief executive, David Deans, said:

This package provides for more vigilance as to who aged care operators can recruit to their staff.

COTA Over 50s said the package ‘should lead to the creation of an environment which is much safer and responsive and which guards against such incidents occurring in the first place’. Even the Health Services Union agreed with what the government had done. Jeff Jackson from the union said, and I quote very specifically:

We applaud the Howard Government for proposing what they intend to do.

But the final word should really go to Senator McLucas. Standing in contrast to everybody else in the aged care sector, particularly the union, Senator McLucas said that it was ‘disappointing’ and that the new measures would ‘only be implemented as of April 2007’. I give to the Senate and particularly to Senator McLucas the same undertaking that I have been giving since I have been minister, and that is that I will continue to consult the sector, all the key stakeholders in the sector, so that we get the legislation that we will be putting through by April 2007 correct and so that we can be as effective as possible in looking after the elderly within our aged care facilities.