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

I rise this evening to speak on the Turnbull government's complete lack of regard for the ageing and the aged care portfolio. Earlier this year, on 2017 February, we welcomed changes to the way aged care home care packages are delivered. These changes are a direct result of Labor's 2012 Living Longer Living Better reforms, and allow older Australians to choose and change their home care provider. Thanks to the hard work of the Labor government when Mark Butler was the minister, for the first time ever older Australians are the ones who drive their care, which is a fantastic initiative.

Labor did the heavy lifting and all the Turnbull government had to do was oversee the implementation. But this out-of-touch Liberal government has dropped the ball every which way you look at this issue. They have failed to be able to deliver on the reforms that they, in opposition, worked with and the sector worked with. Unfortunately, the concerns that are in the community now reflect the very poor implementation of the home care changes made under this government.

When I say 'poor implementation', I'm referring to all of the people who have been kept in the dark for nearly six months about when they might get their home care package or where they are on the national queue. My office, and many of my colleagues' offices, are receiving calls every week from people who are distressed and frustrated because they are unable to find out where they are on the national queue, or when they might receive their home care package. During budget estimates in May, the department's officials said that details about the wait times for the national queue for home care packages would be released at the end of July. 'At the end of June we will have the data that we will release at the end of July.' That was a direct quote from Fiona Buffinton from the Department of Health on 30 May this year.

Well, that deadline, like so many others, has been and gone. We're in the second week of August now, and we have heard nothing from the Turnbull government about when this information will be made available. What are these poor people who are being left in limbo supposed to do? This whole winter break they have been waiting to see the details about waiting times and the national queue, because department officials said they'd have the information by the end of July. But we have seen nothing. The only mention of the wait times since Senate estimates was hidden in fine print of a public discussion paper released on 13 July, where the government changed their tune and said, 'The department expects to publish wait times in the second half of 2017.' They changed their tune because they know they have dropped the ball and need some breathing space.

What I and the rest of Australia want to know is what the second half of 2017 really means. The Liberals have been giving the sector and vulnerable older Australians the run-around since the changes to the home care packages began on 27 February this year. Those opposite have had an absolutely shameful record when it comes to ageing and aged care. This is just not good enough. While the government sits on its hands and twiddles its thumbs there are real people in the community being admitted to hospital and permanent residential care and, in more harrowing cases, passing away while they wait to hear about the status of their home care packages.

I'd like to share some of the stories we are hearing to show everyone just how dire this situation has become under the watch of this mediocre government. Mrs B is 89 and was assessed at the end of 2016 for a Level 4 package. Her daughter has been trying to find out when her frail mother will be able to get a package. She calls the infamous My Aged Care hotline each week, searching for answers, and has become very distressed after constantly being told, 'No, we can't tell you anything about when these packages will be available,' and, 'No, there is no-one else you can talk to about this.' This has gone on for far too long. There are plenty of other examples like this. People are being told sometimes more than three different versions of what may or may not be happening, and each time they call My Aged Care to try and find answers the result is always the same. There's another case of Mr W. He is an in-patient in a hospital and is unable to be discharged without having home care services in place. Mr W has very high care needs and has no family that live locally to support him. There is a chance that he will be placed into permanent residential care because he cannot access a home care package.

We mustn't forget all the calls we're getting from sons and daughters and other relatives who have had to quit their jobs to become full-time carers because their parents cannot access their home care packages. Then there are the countless cases of people like Mrs T, who has been approved for a level 4 home care package, who are only able to access a level 1 or 2 package. These people have been queued for more than 432 days with no idea where they are in the queue or when they will finally have access to the higher level of care they need and deserve. Their health is deteriorating while they wait for adequate care, which is not only dangerous for the client and carers, but also extremely stressful for their families whose lives are being put on hold while they wait for a package that may never come. We need action now. What we don't need is the government's attention only when ageing or an aged-care issue reaches the media. Now is the time that we need to take the action. It's simply not acceptable to say nothing at all. We need transparency and we need it now. Older Australians and their families deserve better, Mr Turnbull. They helped make our nation what it is today, and they deserve to know that the care and support they need in their old age will be there.

The Liberal government, as we have witnessed in media reports and around this place, are dysfunctional, and, quite frankly, they are out of touch. They're putting at risk is the health and welfare of older Australians. The contrast between Labor and the Liberals when it comes to ageing and aged care could not be any starker. Labor did the heavy lifting when in government. They led the debate. They led the development of the policy. They worked with the opposition at the time and, importantly, with the sector, to bring about the reforms of Living Longer Living Better. When the Abbott government was elected, they put no priority on ageing. Mr Turnbull then took over from Mr Abbott, and, once again, we saw no action. They were re-elected last year, and we have seen nothing that has led me—or, more importantly, the Australian community—to believe or have faith that this government understand the issues that older Australians are facing on a daily basis.

Just last week our leader, Bill Shorten, was on national television talking about the treatment of older Australians. He said, 'We need to do a lot better', and, 'it shouldn't necessarily have to wait until the next election' to make things better. Mr Shorten said on national television that he was willing to sit down with Mr Turnbull and work through the matters—something Labor has always said to those opposite. In stark contrast, I don't think I've ever heard the Prime Minister mentioning ageing, aged care or dementia. In 2015, he forgot to appoint a minister for ageing and aged care to his cabinet, and then, earlier this year, he relegated the responsibilities to the outer ministry. This is how much the Turnbull Liberal government value older people and their care. Really, it's quite shameful. I think, if I was a member of that government, I would be very embarrassed. They told us that they would have information on the waiting lists and the national queue for home care packages in June and that they would release this information by the end of July. I am calling on the government, and particularly those in the government who have an interest in the ageing area—and I know there are some—to call on the minister, and the Prime Minister, to give a higher priority to ageing issues in this country and to release this information so that Australians can get the care that they rightly deserve.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In Australia we have an ageing population. We are constantly being reminded of this. This brings with it challenges that need good policy responses. Unfortunately, one of the things that may happen is exploitation of older Australians and their finances. This is unacceptable and must be addressed.

One of the issues that is coming up is accommodation. This too brings with it the potential for exploitation. A number of us would have seen the joint investigation by Four Corners and Fairfax Media which documented some very serious issues that are affecting older Australians and have further potential to do that. The Four Corners show aired on the ABC on 26 June. The investigation brought to light claims of excessive fees, complex contracts and misleading advertising. These issues will not be limited to the operator investigated, nor to retirement villages. I have heard of similar problems in other types of retirement housing.

Within Australia nearly 200,000 residents are currently living in 2,300 retirement facilities across the country. An ageing population and a housing affordability crisis make it imperative that we have good regulation and processes. In our opinion, reform in this area is needed. I have recently sent letters to each of the state premiers and territory chief ministers, as well as to Minister McCormack, requesting that retirement housing reform be placed on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs, which is to be held on 31 August.

I support the proposed reforms put forward by the Consumer Action Law Centre for consideration at the next meeting of that forum. The Consumer Action Law Centre are calling for: improved dispute resolution, with the introduction of an ombudsman-like scheme, with independent and binding resolutions; the simplification of contracts, in order to make them more accessible to older Australians; the regulation of unreasonable fees, particularly exit fees; and the introduction of training and accreditation standards. This issue must be addressed in each state and territory throughout Australia, to ensure that older Australians are not targeted by unscrupulous retirement housing operators who are looking at an easy source of additional revenue. I'm also encouraging the federal government to take the lead on driving such reforms to protect older Australians from future exploitation.

Similar claims to those outlined in the joint investigation undertaken by Four Corners and Fairfax Media were in fact scrutinised in 2007 in a report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs entitled Older people and the law. The Labor government's response to the report accepted or partially accepted recommendations 45, 46 and 47. These recommendations refer to the examination of the nature of retirement village contracts; examination of exit and other fees associated with such contracts, including whether they should be abolished; and the examination of the New Zealand model of a statutory supervisor, to assess its suitability for Australia. There does not appear to have been any progress to date on these issues. I have looked and can't find any. I note, however, that the ACCC has stated that it will investigate some of the more serious matters raised in relation to the particular provider who was the subject of the joint investigation undertaken by Four Corners and Fairfax Media. The issues raised in the report violate the rights of older Australians to be able to live dignified and quality lives.

It is our responsibility to ensure that the necessary and appropriate protections are in place to safeguard against such cases as those raised in the report. The Australian Greens want to continue to agitate for stronger protections in this area. I am also concerned about reports that retirement villages are moving into aged-care service provision and that cases are reported in the media where people are being moved to new contracts without proper consultation and without their understanding. I am deeply concerned that some providers may see the dollars rather than the human beings.

The Australian Greens have a vision for older Australians to participate fully in their communities, while having peace of mind that the services and supports available to them will provide the quality of care and support they need at every stage of their lives. This should extend to alternative housing options being offered to our older Australians. Given many older Australians are experiencing more unstable housing and financial stress and some are living in houses that are inappropriate for their needs, we have to ensure that any alternative options are suitable and safe. As people choose to stay in their homes longer, there needs to be more affordable, appropriate and flexible housing options available for older Australians. We must continue to scrutinise such options and ensure that they truly meet the needs of older Australians.

Many older Australians face additional challenges, such as discrimination in the workplace and poverty. Older people are also more likely to experience long-term unemployment and greater difficulty in returning to work. We fundamentally believe that everyone is entitled to a decent quality of life, but it's especially important that all older people have a decent income, including an adequate aged pension, and are able to live with dignity. I am sick of hearing about the suggested negative implications of an ageing population for our budget and our workforce with the common thread that older people are a burden on the health, aged-care and taxation systems. This, of course, is not the reality, and one way the government could show this would be by taking a lead on reforms relating to retirement housing and making sure that laws are genuinely up to the challenges being faced by older Australians. The government must have the political will to address the reforms that are needed. These reforms have not happened in the past, even though some issues to do with retirement villages have previously been identified, and yet we still see people being exploited. This issue needs to be addressed.

The Australian Greens will continue to fight for the rights of older Australians to live with dignity, to have appropriate housing, to have access to decent incomes, to receive quality of care, and to make sure that we have a framework of positive ageing, rather than the dialogue that is constantly run about the burden of ageing Australians. We need to get away from that language and ensure that we take a positive approach to ageing so that people, as they age, can be confident that they can live dignified lives in the accommodation they choose, where they are not exploited and they have access to the quality care that they choose, not forced on them. We will continue to pursue this matter, particularly in relation to those retirement village reforms. This time the government needs to commit to taking action to ensure that these reforms are met. It also needs to work with the states and territories to ensure that they are making the reforms necessary so that people aren't being exploited. We cannot see any more documentaries of people being exploited or reports which portray them as cash cows rather than older Australians, who should have the respect from the whole of our community.