Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator Colbeck. Minister, Senator Fierravanti-Wells said:

… the failure of the Abbott government and those advising it, exacerbated the already deteriorating situation which has now resulted in the failures in the aged care sector of today.

Why was the former shadow minister for ageing and a senior New South Wales Liberal, Senator Fierravanti-Wells, ignored by the Morrison government?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't believe that Senator Fierravanti-Wells has been ignored by the Morrison government, in the same way that I don't agree with the assertion with respect to Mr Broadbent. Senator Fierravanti-Wells, as I said in an answer to a question earlier, has had the opportunity—by virtue of the fact that Prime Minister Morrison called a royal commission into the aged-care sector—to make a significant contribution to that royal commission. And I welcome that. Senator Fierravanti-Wells, I know, because I interacted with her on a number of occasions when she was the shadow minister—in fact, she did some work with me in aged-care facilities in the North West of Tasmania—put significant amount of effort into the policy work that she did. So not only do I respect the work that she's done and respect the opinions that she has but Senator Fierravanti-Wells has had the opportunity, through the fact that Prime Minister Morrison called a royal commission, to make a contribution to that process and to the determination of this government under Prime Minister Morrison to improve the residential aged-care sector in this country.

So I don't accept the assertion in the question from the minister, and I look forward to the report of the royal commission, which is due on 26 February next year. And I look forward to then implementing measures, off the back of the royal commission report, to improve the delivery of aged care in this country.

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

Senator Chisholm, a supplementary question?

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fierravanti-Wells also said:

… the Coalition failed in their promise to reform aged care and simply opted for a shift that had no demonstrable positive outcome for the wellbeing of our older Australians.

Why was the former shadow minister for aging and a senior New South Wales Liberal, Senator Fierravanti-Wells, ignored by the Morrison government?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would refer the good senator to the answer to my first question. But, can I say, my view, and based on my conversations with the Prime Minister about what we will be doing after the royal commission makes its final report on 26 February next year, is that the aged-care sector will look very different after we implement our reforms off the back of the royal commission. There is a sincere determination to ensure that the sector provides a higher quality of care The fact that Prime Minister Morrison very early in his prime ministership called for a royal commission into aged care—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order!

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

is a clear demonstration of the determination of this government to improve the delivery of aged care in Australia.

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

Senator Chisholm, a final supplementary question?

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given that even warnings from within the government were ignored, isn't it clear the Morrison government was already failing and neglecting older Australians in residential aged care, even before COVID-19 reached our shores?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've acknowledged that there are issues in aged care, and if we didn't acknowledge there were issues in aged care we would not have called the royal commission. As I said, one of the very first actions of Prime Minister Morrison was to call the royal commission. Of course, even though we have called the royal commission, we've continued to implement reforms to the aged-care sector while the royal commission has continued. We have created the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which didn't exist until the beginning of last year. We've put in place new Aged Care Quality Standards, which started on 1 July 2019. We've commenced the process of aged-care quality indicators and their public reporting. So we have continued to improve the aged-care sector. We will continue to do that, particularly off the back of the royal commission when it reports on 26 February next year.