Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before moving general business notice of motion No. 164, I wish to inform the chamber that Senators Griff, Polley and Siewert will also sponsor the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senators Bilyk, Griff, Polley and Siewert, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the latest Government report indicates that there are 120,000 older Australians waiting for their approved package, and

  (ii) more than 72,000 older Australians on the wait list have no home care package at all;

(b) recognises that:

  (i) the majority of older Australians waiting for level three and level four packages have high care needs,

  (ii) some older Australians have been waiting more than two years for their approved package, many of whom are in their 90s, and others who have terminal illnesses, and

  (iii) older Australians are entering residential aged care or even emergency departments instead of receiving their approved home care package;

(c) condemns the Morrison Government for failing to stop the waitlist growing; and

(d) calls on the Morrison Government to listen to the growing chorus of voices for urgent action to fix the home care packages waitlist now, and properly address this national crisis.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Morrison government is committed to supporting senior Australians to remain in their own homes for longer. End of financial year data for 2018-19 indicates that 125,117 Australians have access to Home Care Packages compared to 99,932 at the same time last year. That is a 25 per cent increase in just one year. In comparison, Labor at the election provided no additional funding in their costings for home care places nor any additional funding for aged-care quality or workforce or for residential aged care. In six years we have more than doubled the number of packages available, and by 2022-23 we will have achieved a 161 per cent increase since Labor left government in 2012-13.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion No. 164 be agreed to.