Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Fifield. Can the minister advise the Senate of what the government is doing to ensure that older Australians who wish to stay in their own homes rather than entering residential care can do so for as long as possible.

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

I am very please d to inform the Senate that the government has recently announced the opening of the Aged Care Approval s Round for May 2014. The Aged Care Approvals Round is , as colleagues will be aware, the major funding round in the aged care sector and provides new Australian - government - funded aged care places to service providers through a competitive assessment process. The government recognises, and I think all colleagues recognise, that many older Australians are keen to stay at home for as long as they possibly can, which is why this round will continue to expand the Home Care Packages Program, which provides individual tailored packages of home care services to help older Australians remain living independently in their own homes. This funding follows a $240 million investment by the government earlier this year in the Home and Community Care program, which provides funding for critical basic maintenance support and care services, again, where most people prefer to receive them, at home. To encourage greater investment in areas of need, the government will also make funding available for capital grants under the Rural, Regional and Other Special Needs Building Fund, as part of the Aged Care Approvals Round. The government is committed to an aged care sector that provides choice and quality for older Australians.

Australians are living longer than ever before, which is indeed cause for celebration. Mr President, you might be interested to know that in Australia today there are over 3,500 centenarians and that by 2050 there will be over 50,000 centenarians. What a great national resource that is to draw upon. There are many here aspiring to join those ranks! The government is going to be working very closely over the coming years to adapt to the increased demand and to encourage our system to be one focused on quality and choice. (Time expired)

Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his answer and ask if he can inform the Senate of how the government is working with the aged care sector ahead of the implementation of the changes on 1 July this year to support the sector and its workforce as they work to adapt to these changes.

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

The government recognises the importance of working very closely with the aged care sector through what will be a period of change. Earlier this month, I announced the establishment of the Aged Care Sector Committee to be chaired by someone we all know well, Professor Peter Shergold AC. The Aged Care Sector Committee will be tasked with building the foundation for a lasting partnership between government and providers and other participants in the sector. It will be an important conduit between all the players in the sector and government. It will also provide guidance to help the aged care sector adapt to the new demands of an ageing population and also, particularly importantly, to provide guidance on the greater movement toward consumer choice and the greater consumer focus that there will be as part of the changes coming into effect on 1 July. I think it is an important thing for colleagues to realise that the direction is inexorably heading one way, and that is for greater consumer choice in aged care.

Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate of the government's red tape reduction agenda in the area of aged care.

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

Given that today is the government's first repeal day, I want to reiterate that the government is absolutely committed to doing whatever it can to reduce the red tape and compliance burden in the aged care sector. We have already taken some steps to simplify the pricing system for aged care by scrapping what was proposed by the previous government, which was a confusing and cumbersome requirement for providers to follow quite a prescriptive process in setting prices and also the need to document and certify that process, which we thought was unnecessary. This is just one of the first things that we will do to streamline the administrative process in the aged care sector. What we ultimately want to do is to free up the staff and the management of aged care providers from being over burdened by compliance requirements. Obviously, there will be no compromise to safety, no compromise to quality, but we want to let the aged care sector do what they do best, and that is provide high quality care.