Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care Services, Senator Colbeck. Minister, is the aged-care system in crisis—yes or no?

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

I thank the senator for the question and attempting to answer it for me! I'm not here to play word games. The aged-care sector is suffering extreme difficulty because of COVID-19, particularly the omicron strain at the moment. There's been significant commentary with respect to the state of the sector over the last week since Senate estimates last week, and, yes, Senator, the Prime Minister made his statements and views known as well.

My focus is to work to support the sector to help them get through the current situation. It is extremely difficult, and the work that I've been doing all through the pandemic—and let's remember, we are in a global pandemic here—is to work with the sector to assist them to get through the current situation.

The ANMF—to take up the interjection from Senator Watt—described it as a crisis in 2012 when you were in government, so let's take that—

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

Order!

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

Some of us remember that. And we were the ones that had the courage to call a royal commission, no matter how difficult that might have been for us as a government, and we were the ones who responded comprehensively to the royal commission. And the only response we've had from the Labor Party and Mr Albanese is: 'We'll spend more than the other lot.' Twelve months after the royal commission reported, and that's all we've got from Labor: 'We'll spend more than them.'

We have committed over $18 billion to reform this sector. We've commenced the process of reforming and legislating the reform through this government, so we're not interested in word games. We know how tough it is in the sector now—right now—and we're doing everything that we possibly can to assist the sector to work their way through this extremely difficult environment.

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

Senator Gallagher, a supplementary question?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the minister told the Prime Minister that he was wrong when he acknowledged the aged-care system was in crisis?

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

Again, as I said, I'm not interested in playing Labor's word games, because my focus and the Prime Minister's focus in all of our conversations in relation to aged care is how we assist the sector and work our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. That's been our focus all along. Have we got everything right? No, we haven't, and we've admitted that. We've had the courage to admit that. We haven't played nasty personal games like the Labor Party have. We haven't gone down that track. There's been not a single constructive discussion or contribution from those on the other side! But we have put all of the resources of government towards the support of the aged-care sector, and that's what we will continue to do. We are very comfortable continuing to work cooperatively with the aged-care sector—the providers, who we talk to on a regular basis, and their peaks—in the case of helping them to work their way through the current situation. (Time expired)

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

Senator Gallagher, a second supplementary question?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While hundreds of older Australians in his care have died and more than 1,000 aged-care homes were dealing with outbreaks, this minister went to the cricket for three days. When this minister thinks going to the cricket is more important than protecting elderly Australians in his care, isn't it time the minister resigned?

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

Again, Senator Gallagher knows exactly what I was doing and when I was doing it, and she continuously and dishonestly misrepresents the circumstances. She knows that I spent most of Friday working on trying to deal with the issues that the aged-care sector was facing at the time, including blockages in supply chains that a lot of the industry around the country was dealing with at the time which was inhibiting the supply of crucial supplies. I made some decisions with respect to the events that I attended over that period of time, but I was always available, and I always continued to work in respect of supporting the aged-care sector. People will criticise me, as they will. I have to take that on the chin, but I— (Time expired)

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

I'm not going to call Senator Bragg until there is silence in the chamber. Senator Bragg.