Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator Colbeck. Today the Minister for Health announced additional funding to stop the COVID-19 aged-care crisis. Why has it taken the deaths of more than 457 Australians in aged care and seven months of the COVID-19 crisis for the Morrison government to finally provide these additional resources?

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

Thanks for the question, Senator Keneally. As I said in the previous answer, Minister Hunt and I announced $563 million this morning to extend existing measures that were supporting the aged-care sector. The suggestion that we've waited until now, quite frankly, doesn't make sense given that these measures were put in place to support the sector. Today we extended existing measures to continue the support that we already had in place for an additional six months in most of those cases.

Early in the pandemic, we made some decisions, we resourced those decisions and we announced the funding to support those decisions. Today we extended those provisions given the fact that we remain in a COVID-19 pandemic. We have particular circumstances with respect to Victoria that require additional support, and the sector remains under pressure nationally. So we announced an extension to existing programs so that the support required for the sector throughout the pandemic—the support required as part of our plan—could be continued for a further period of time so that the sector did have the support required and continues to have the support required as the pandemic continues.

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

Senator Keneally, a supplementary question?

Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the minister admitted he only realised he hadn't got it right as a result of the outbreak at St Basil's in July, six months into the COVID-19 crisis, will he guarantee that the funding announced today by Minister Hunt will be enough to get it right?

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

And again Senator Keneally chooses to misuse my words, by using them in a way that I didn't utter them, and it demonstrates the continued dishonesty of the Labor Party in asking questions in this place. The announcements that I made today with Minister Hunt are a continuation of existing programs. They're a continuation of existing programs and existing support that was put in place to support the sector through the COVID-19 outbreak. And we will continue to provide resources. As I've said on a number of occasions through the duration of the pandemic outbreak, we will continue to provide additional support as required. We got to a stage where the existing supports were due to expire. We assessed that they needed to be continued, so we made the decision to continue them, and Minister Hunt and I announced them today.

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

Senator Keneally, a final supplementary question.

Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In October last year the government received the interim report of the royal commission into aged care and it was titled Neglect. Why is the minister continuing to withhold the resources necessary to implement these recommendations from the report titled Neglect and prevent further neglect and avoidable deaths in the aged-care system?

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

The government has not withheld support from the sector. The announcements that we made today were specifically related to assisting the sector manage their way through COVID-19. On the suggestion of the royal commission, and coming out of the report that was made by the royal commission in November last year, there were a number of additional resources supplied to the sector that the royal commission suggested. That included an additional 10,000 home care packages. It included some resources for medication management and to ensure that the use of chemical restraints was minimised. It included some funding to ensure that the numbers of young people going into residential aged care were minimised. So we have continued to put additional resources into the aged-care sector and, as the Prime Minister has said on a number of occasions, and as I've said, we will continue to do that at every opportunity.

David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator Colbeck. Can the minister please outline how the Morrison government are extending and continuing our support for the aged-care sector as part of our plan to assist the sector in responding to community transmission of COVID-19?

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

I thank Senator Van for the question. Today, the government announced a further $563 million in a package of measures to support senior Australians and aged care during the COVID-19 pandemic. These additional targeted measures mean that, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian government has provided over $1.5 billion to support senior Australians in aged care. This includes continuation of measures to support providers and support the choice of senior Australians. As part of this package, up to $245 million will be provided for a second payment of the lump-sum COVID-19 support payment to residential aged-care providers. Residential providers in metropolitan areas will get $975 per resident and all other providers will receive $1,435. This funding will be used by providers to fund and support enhanced infection control capability, including through an onsite clinical lead, quite importantly. Funding may also be used to address other COVID-19-related costs, such as increased staffing costs, communications with families, and managing visitation arrangements. This additional support will be provided to all mainstream residential aged-care providers and also to Indigenous and multipurpose services. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will be undertaking risk assessments and audits to ensure providers are prepared for an outbreak. This funding supports providers with this preparedness. In addition to the risk assessments and audits, providers will report in their end-of-financial-year returns on how the support was used in overcoming additional COVID-19 related costs.

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

Senator Van, a supplementary question.

David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can minister outline how the government is continuing to support the aged-care workforce at this time?

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

The package announced today further builds on specific measures that we've announced previously to support the aged-care workforce at this time. Continuing the aged-care workforce retention payment program for eligible frontline direct care staff recognises the particular role that they play in looking after our most vulnerable Australians. We're extending the bonus for a further period to support the direct care workforce and encourage retention, at a cost of $154.5 million. In addition, we're supporting aged-care providers and workers who may be affected by the single worker, single site principle in hotspot areas in regions of Victoria with up to $92.4 million in funding. We're also extending the support from an initial eight weeks to 12 weeks, in recognition of the prolonged situation in Victoria and to allow providers to claim for a longer period. This will enable— (Time expired)

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

Senator Van, a final supplementary question?

David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister outline the government's further ongoing support for senior Australians in residential aged care who are homeless and for seniors at risk of homelessness and also for Indigenous Australians in aged care?

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

The additional $245 million of funding to the sector includes additional support that will be provided to all mainstream residential aged care; the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program, NATSI Flex; the Indigenous program; and multipurpose services. This measure also extends the 30 per cent increase in the viability supplement for both residential care and home care and the homeless supplement in residential care by a further six months, at a cost of $26 million. The increase in the viability supplement will also assist home-care providers and their consumers. In addition, the Australian government has committed an additional $71.4 million to support older Australians who temporarily relocate from residential aged-care facilities to the community to live with their families as a precaution against COVID-19.