Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's a saying: 'Ageing is a privilege.' But, for those who participated in or have read the report of the aged care royal commission, it would be reasonable to think that, when you're in aged care, ageing is a punishment.

It's been almost a year since the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety handed down its final report. It made 148 recommendations to ensure that older Australians could live with dignity and respect as they entered the residential aged-care system. How many of these 148 recommendations have been implemented? Where is the government's urgency to implement these recommendations and improve the system to ensure older Australians live with dignity and respect?

We have so few parliamentary sitting days next year, which I can't fathom, given there are so many important recommendations that the parliament could be implementing to improve residential aged care. For a start, the parliament could implement my bill to ensure that there's at least one registered nurse on call 24/7 in every aged-care facility. Nursing home residents, their families, the aged-care workforce and the wider community cannot wait any longer. My bill will raise the quality of care for residents. Having a registered nurse present will improve quality. It will improve communication between the residents, families and other healthcare professionals. It will promote preventative health care and address wellbeing risks, contributing to restorative care.

The Morrison government needs to stop pushing residential aged-care reform into the too-hard basket. It's not too hard. Like so many issues, the recommendations are there, waiting for the parliament to act on them.