Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Fifield. Can the minister outline to the Senate the coalition's plans to reduce the administrative burden on aged-care providers and how this reduction will allow aged-care workers to focus less on administrative tasks and more on providing high-quality care for older Australians?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I acknowledge Senator Ruston's interest in social policy. It is indeed a priority for this government to cut red tape and to allow those who work in aged care to focus on doing what they do best, and that is delivering high-quality care for older Australians. When aged-care staff are reported to be spending up to a third of their time on paperwork it is obvious there is too much red tape. I am pleased to advise that the government has scrapped the previous government's requirements for providers to follow a prescriptive process in setting prices and the need to document and certify this process in great detail.

The previous government's aged-care accommodation pricing guidelines were confusing, cumbersome and prescriptive. I will give you a couple of examples of how complicated these would have been for providers. The first example:

In a group of rooms where some, but not all rooms, have five lights and all of the rooms have more lights, if the number of lights does not affect the method to determine the maximum amount of accommodation payment, then the description of rooms in the group need not mention the number of lights.

Got it? Clear? Next example:

In a group of rooms, the floors are covered with different coloured carpets and the carpeted rooms are valued above another group of rooms with vinyl floors, the same maximum amount of accommodation payment will be set for each and every room in the group. The description of the group may state that the rooms having "carpeted floors" and need not specify that the rooms have "red carpet or blue carpet". Alternatively, if the carpets did not affect the method for setting the accommodation payment for the rooms in the group, the provider may choose to omit carpet from the description.

It beggars belief that the previous government thought that level of detail would actually provide any protections for consumers or would actually inform consumers. All it would do would be to cause unnecessary administrative burden for providers.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I thank the minister for his response and I ask a supplementary question. Apart from the specific examples of the crazy administrative burden that has been placed on these providers, could the minister please provide a broader explanation of the approach the government is taking to relieve the administrative burden on aged-care providers and how it differs from the previous administration's approach?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government's focus is on easing the red tape burden of the aged-care sector, as I say, to allow them to do what they do best. The previous government paid little regard to the regulatory impact—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Fifield, just resume your seat. When there is silence we will proceed. Minister, continue.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The previous government paid no regard to the regulatory impacts of the changes that they put in place. On this side of the chamber we are committed to writing clear pricing and accommodation information for consumers.

We want to make sure consumers are well informed.

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Fifield, resume your seat. Continue.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That detail will be on the My Aged Care website, but what we will ensure is that quality and safety are never compromised. It is unfortunate that Senator Polley in Senate estimates equated red tape with safety and red tape with quality. Red tape does not equal safety; red tape does not equal quality.

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence we will proceed.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a further supplementary question. Could the senator please provide further advice to the Senate how the changes to these red-tape reduction measures have been received by the aged-care sector and, particularly, does he have any specific examples of aged-care providers who have already responded to him on this matter?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ruston. I can report that this change has been well received. That aged-care peak body, Leading Age Services Australia, have called these reforms a 'win for our sector' and went on to say it was:

… direct recognition by the new government of the need to eliminate excessive red tape which burdens our providers.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order! Senator Fifield, continue.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Aged and Community Services Australia also welcomed the announcement, stating that the changes will 'free-up time to focus on the care of the residents'. You will be pleased to know, Mr President, that as part of our five-year Healthy Life, Better Ageing Agreement, which we will be negotiating with the sector, we will have as a focus further reduction of red tape in the aged-care sector. We want people who work in aged care, the providers, to focus on what matters and that is providing good-quality care. (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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