Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister representing the Minister for Ageing. I refer to the report that the Prime Minister has directed be produced into the 94 aged care bed licences allocated to Mr Russell Egan Jr on the Gold Coast and ask: when will this report be released to the public? Further, is the minister aware that 70 bed licences have been allocated to another provider, Varsity Age Care, on the Gold Coast? Can the minister confirm that the allocation was made off the public record, after the bed licence allocation in December 2006, and was to an aged care organisation that did not have approved provider status in December? Can the minister inform the Senate who made this decision to allocate 70 bed licences to Varsity Aged Care and what the basis was for such an allocation? Will the minister now investigate the Varsity Aged Care bed allocation?

Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that Mr Pyne was investigating the issue of the bed licences concerning Mr Egan and that the finding was that there was nothing inappropriate in relation to the allocation of those bed licences. I will take it up with the minister to see if there is anything further to add to that, and I will advise the Senate accordingly.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When was that announced? It certainly has not been announced publicly as far as I am aware. Can the minister confirm that the director of Varsity is also a director of McKenzie Aged Care, which operates an aged-care facility in Victoria, which received government sanctions in 2003 for causing ‘immediate and severe risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of residents’? How did the government ensure that Varsity Aged Care had a very good record of conduct as a provider of aged care as required by the aged care principles?

Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to the announcement on the inquiry into those bed licences concerning Mr Egan, the advice I had was that there was no reason to believe that anything untoward had occurred in the allocation process. The minister is yet to make a formal announcement, but that was my advice on the brief that has been given to me. In relation to the other question about McKenzie Aged Care, I think it was, I will take that question on notice and advise the Senate accordingly.

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.