Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Polley, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the public release of the latest quarterly data on the home care package wait list has been delayed by the Turnbull Government,

  (ii) there was a commitment to release the data two months after the period that the data covers, and this time-frame has now not been met,

  (iii) the latest figures showed around 105,000 older Australians are now waiting for a home care package they were approved for,

  (iv) the average wait time for a high level package has blown out to more than a year, and

  (v) the demand for home care packages grew by 20,000 older Australians in the last six months of 2017 alone;

(b) condemns the Turnbull Government for the aged care crisis it made on its watch; and

(c) calls on the Turnbull Government to be honest with older Australians and immediately release the latest round of data on the wait-list for home care packages.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the coalition government, aged-care funding is up, home-care packages are up and residential places are up every year. Under Labor's Living Longer Living Better reforms, the ratio set for home-care packages was inadequate and severely underestimated. In February 2017, we transitioned to a new home-care system which gives consumers more choice and control over their care. For the first time, this allows us to better understand the extent of demand for home-care packages nationally and also uncovers the extent of the problem left by the former Labor government. We have acted immediately, with the release of an additional 20,000 high-level home care packages since our last budget. Overall home care packages will rise from 87,000 to 151,000. The coalition government has the best interests of older Australians at heart, which is why in the 2018-19 budget there was a clear focus on ageing.

Question agreed to.