Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator Colbeck. Can the minister provide an update on the number of Australians accessing a home-care package and how the Liberal and Nationals government is supporting senior Australians?

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

Thank you, Senator, for your question and thank you particularly for your interest in improving the lives of senior Australians and their families. It's been clear over a period of time now that people want more choice. They want to stay connected to their communities, they want to stay as independent as possible and they want to remain in their own homes. Our government is delivering on that.

The government announced in the budget, as part of our response to the royal commission, a further $6.5 billion as an investment to release 80,000 additional home-care packages. That's 40,000 packages this financial year and a further 40,000 packages next financial year. That is the single largest investment in home-care packages ever. The new data shows that, in the three months to the end of September this year, the number of people with access to a home-care package grew to more than 204,000, which is an increase of over 41,000 in the last 12 months. Since the 2018-19 budget, this government has now invested a record $11.9 billion in new funding to deliver an additional 163,000 new home-care packages. By June 2023, there will be around 275,000 home-care packages available to senior Australians every year. Every year, under our government, home-care packages have been up, residential care places have been up, and aged-care funding has been up. Labor went to the last election with $387 billion in new tax proposals and not a single dollar for a home-care place or aged-care quality and safety of the workforce, and nothing for mainstream aged-care services. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Henderson, a supplementary question?

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How is the rollout of home-care packages expected to further reduce waiting lists and waiting times?

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

The number of people waiting to receive a home-care package continues to decrease as we work to ensure that more Australians can live at home for longer, as more Australians are choosing to do. Under this government, there has been a significant improvement in the number of people waiting for their approved home-care package, with a 25 per cent decrease in the 12 months to September this year. Those assessed as having a high priority need at any level of home-care package are now receiving their packages in fewer than 30 days, and 99 per cent of senior Australians waiting for a package at their assessed level of need have also been offered support from the government, including an interim package, or CHSP. They continue to have access to Australia's world-class health system.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Henderson, a second supplementary question?

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister outline the design phase of the new home-care system?

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

In the government's response to the recommendations of the royal commission, we announced a commitment to establishing a new support-at-home program. This will replace the existing Commonwealth Home Support Program, or CHSP; home-care packages; short-term restorative care; and residential respite programs. We continue to consult on the critical design of this new program, including: elements of improved assessment arrangements that are more consistent and more accurate and recognise that not all consumers need intensive assessments; a modern classification and funding system to ensure that the support that senior Australians receive aligns with their assessed care needs; an increased choice of providers across all types and levels of aged care; focus on aged-care management in assessment and funding arrangements; better support for informal carers; and, importantly, more support for early interventions to help people remain independent at home for longer.