Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise again in this chamber to talk about the Abbott government's cruel and arbitrary cuts to the aged care sector that have left providers reeling and older Australians at the most vulnerable point of their lives facing an uncertain future.

We are now fast approaching 100 days since the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield, shocked many in this chamber and across the sector when he announced the sudden axing of the dementia and severe behaviours supplement. That is right, 100 days. This of course followed a range of other harmful cuts to the sector late last year and earlier this year. Joe Hockey delivered a horror budget that slashed the $652.7 million aged care payroll tax supplement and made cuts to pensions which impact on the revenue streams of providers. But that is not all; team Abbott demolished the $1.1 billion aged care workforce supplement, which was designed to boost the pay and conditions of the aged care workforce.

As we reach the end of National Dementia Awareness Month, I travelled to meet with providers and experts in the fields of dementia and ageing more generally across Tasmania, Brisbane, Adelaide and surrounding regions.

Senator Fifield has previously accused the shadow minister for ageing, the member for Blair, and me of skulking around aged-care facilities. On these visits, just like the other visits that the member for Blair and I have undertaken, I can tell you that we were not skulking around; we were talking to and, more importantly, listening to people on the front line of aged care. It was indeed a worthwhile experience.

I think it is vital to escape the Canberra bubble whenever possible and actually speak to those charged with caring for vulnerable older Australians, including people with severe symptoms of dementia. It is also essential to speak to those older Australians who are being cared for—to listen to them, lend an ear so that we can figure out how we can assist them to live their lives in comfort and with dignity in their final years.

I was very fortunate to visit RSL Care Fairview aged-care facility in Pinjarra Hills just outside of Brisbane where I learnt about the progress they have made in creating a friendly environment for their residents. They have done everything they can to brighten the mood of people who are no longer able to provide for themselves by providing reminders of their younger years and the activities that they most enjoy. There is a 1960's jukebox, an outdoors area featuring a nursery and other amenities that are a pleasant reminder of earlier times.

The staff are doing everything they can to care for the individual needs of residents, many of whom still have tremendous mobility, and some of whom require far more intensive support. But, as with many providers right across Australia, their job has been made that little bit harder by the Abbott government's cuts. RSL Care had numerous residents who qualified for the dementia and severe behaviours supplement, but since July 31 this has been ripped away.

The hardworking staff will of course continue to do all they can to look after these most vulnerable of residents; however, you certainly cannot blame them for feeling cheated, neglected and disrespected. Just like every other aged-care provider—and indeed all aged-care and ageing stakeholders—they were not consulted about the axing of this supplement. They were given no warning, they were not listened to.

I was also fortunate enough the following day to join the member for Rankin, Jim Chalmers, and Labor candidate for Logan, Linus Power, at Flexi Living in Hillcrest. This organisation provides support services to older Australians and people with disabilities. It was great to speak to them and learn about how Flexi Living has improved the lives of so many people.

Jim Chalmers and I also spoke to staff at the Logan Central Respite Centre in Slacks Creek nearby. They spoke about the pressures their organisation and others like them are facing, caring for older people and people with disabilities. The Abbott government must listen to their concerns and focus on more than just cruel cuts, because their advice needs to be heeded. They undertake work that often goes unrecognised, but it is work that is absolutely essential to the health and welfare of vulnerable people across Australia.

In Adelaide later that week I joined Senator Wong as well as local mayor John Trainor in visiting the St Martin's Aged Care Facility. This facility is located within the electorate of Hindmarsh, which actually has the highest percentage of older Australians of any seat in this nation. St Martin's offers first-class care and support for residents, and Senator Wong and I were more than happy to stay on after our tour and answer questions from residents on a range of issues.

St Martin's had seven residents who met the criteria of the dementia and severe behaviours supplement. Just like many others, the hardworking staff members of St Martin's have to contend with caring for people with severe psychological and behavioural problems associated with dementia without the support of this supplement. What this means in practice is that other residents, such as those without severe symptoms but who require high-level assistance, also have their levels of care and support potentially compromised.

The axing of the dementia supplement has a flow-on effect as to how providers run their operation—it cannot just be seen in isolation. Facilities such as St Martin's budgeted for this supplement and planned their care arrangements around its very existence. All of that has now been thrown into chaos.

Whilst at St Martin's, Senator Wong was also glad to sign the dementia and severe behaviours supplement petition, which now has over 8,500 signatures. I understand that Senator Fifield isn't the biggest fan of this petition, but I would encourage anyone who has an interest in the care provided to people with severe symptoms of dementia to visit the Australian Labor Party site and sign the petition right away.

I also had the pleasure of joining the member for Wakefield in visiting several aged-care facilities in his electorate north of Adelaide—facilities that are also affected by the axing of this supplement. At the Hamley Bridge Memorial Hospital I spoke to chief executive officer, David Adcock, who told me that the supplement cut had hit his local community funded facility hard. He said that the axing of the supplement had come as a complete shock: the facility had a total of 20 residents who qualified. As one of the few local facilities with a secure dementia unit, he informed me that extra staff were recently added to the roster to cater for growing demand.

He told me—and I am quoting directly here:

To be able to fund the staff during the special times we need, the supplement was great. To have that ripped out was very difficult but we weren't about to turn around and say we've got to get rid of the staff, because we need them to assist with behaviours that are getting worse with clients.

A total of 10 residents qualified under the supplement, and Mr Adcock said that the supplement needs to be brought back to the table with discussions about how it is going to be handled, right away. He said:

We're not going to change our rosters, but at the same time it's costing us money. It's difficult, but we are in the position where we are making losses and we can't keep doing that.

He went on:

This is a community facility, built by the community, so it's not a profit-making exercise and we still need to be able to survive. At the moment, we are finding it difficult and the change in the supplement has made it much harder.

Mr Adcock and staff were keen to impress upon the member for Wakefield and me that the Abbott government whipped the supplement away without any consultation and that residents and staff have been left feeling quite abandoned. He said:

We're going on for four months and there's still no vision, plan or policy coming from the government.

At the Mallala facility nearby we heard a similar story from staff: they had 10 residents who qualified under the supplement and they have also been abandoned by this Abbott government.

The acting CEO, Stuart Jillings, made it absolutely clear to me and the member for Wakefield that staff were concerned about just what this government has planned for aged care. The axing of the severe symptoms dementia supplement and other cuts has created a sense of urgency and uncertainty.

We must remember that the $16 dollar a day dementia supplement was paid to providers so that they could care for those with severe psychological and behavioural problems associated with dementia. These are not just people who forget things or need some small measure of additional care; these are people who are at risk of harming themselves, their loved ones and, of course, the staff who are caring for them. The work of those in the aged-care sector is incredibly taxing, the responsibilities are immense and the financial reward is far from generous.

The Productivity Commission has pointed out that the increasing number of residents with higher and more complex care needs has added to the workloads of care staff in residential care settings. As we speak, some 50 per cent of the aged-care workforce is within 10 years of retiring, and it is proving particularly challenging to attract young, capable people to undertake this line of work. So I ask the minister: what message does it send to a sector trying to attract staff when you scrap a supplement designed to assist them in caring for people with severe symptoms of dementia? It tells them, 'We aren't listening to your concerns, we aren't prioritising investment in the sector and we don't really care whether or not vulnerable Australians receive the care and support they need.' The scrapping of this supplement is a backwards step, it is a dangerous step, it is a retrograde step. It quite simply is not good.

I would like to remind the Senate again that in a little over a week's time it will be 100 days since Senator Fifield announced the axing of the dementia supplement. The aged-care sector has endured close to 100 days of uncertainty and exasperation because this government refuses to act. Senator Fifield, you can throw dorothy dixers at us, you can have another 100 dixers in this chamber, but we do not need to hear more explanations, justifications, blame-shifting and evasion of responsibility. We need action. We remind you again: we were not skulking around aged-care facilities; we were simply listening to those on the front line caring for older Australians, including older Australians with dementia.

I strongly believe that the government needs to listen more closely to people who work in the aged-care sector. These are the people who undertake exhausting work caring for our mums, dads, uncles, aunts and loved ones. Of course, the remuneration they receive is scant recognition of the vital role they play in providing care and support for some of the country's most vulnerable people. You need to listen to them. The people who are being cared for in aged-care facilities are hurting because of your government's savage cuts. I am hearing the same message from all corners of this country. Those who are living in aged-care facilities who have dementia and also, particularly, their loved ones feel that they have been abandoned by this government. Those who are at the most vulnerable stage in their life feel that they have been abandoned. These are the people who need the support and care of those who work in the sector. The supplement that was introduced by the Labor government was introduced because it was demonstrated that there was a need. The people who care for those with severe psychological behaviour issues caused by dementia need to be supported. They need to be able to have additional training so that those in most need will get the best quality care possible.

As I said, we are facing a time when those working within the sector are within a decade of retirement. We need to be able to attract the best possible people to work in this sector. In doing that, we need to provide for them an avenue of advancement and a strategy for them to have good career prospects in this sector. This is a sector, as I have spoken about many times, that is at the forefront of most people's minds not only in Australia but globally. I urge the minister: don't be afraid to go out and listen to the sector. Don't be afraid to go and visit aged-care facilities. Please go and listen to their concerns. We urge you to consult with the sector, to sit down with us to find a solution for those who are most vulnerable in this country, those in most need of care and support because they are suffering from dementia and severe behaviour problems. The staff who are working in this sector need government support. I urge Senator Fifield to go and talk to the community, talk to those in the sector, and come up with some sort of vision and plan for the future for the ageing population of this country.

These people deserve nothing less. These people have been part of building this great country. We are a country of wealth and it is an obligation of this government to respond to the need of those most vulnerable in our community.