Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, I'm sorry, please resume your seat. We have moved on. I had a senator asking a question and you were still interjecting—particularly you, Senator Ruston—about the previous question. I'd ask you to listen to in silence or leave the chamber. Senator Tyrrell, could you start again, please?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. Aged-care facilities are struggling to meet care-minute targets, especially those in cities and regional centres. Media reports show significant issues in the aged-care workforce and around how each person's 200 daily aged-care minutes are distributed. Since March 2021, the government has provided a certification letter to meet regulatory impact statement requirements for the adoption of mandatory care minutes for aged-care residents, but this process has not been evaluated in all that time. So essentially, the government has issued a letter to say it followed the rules when setting care time requirements, but there is no public evidence to show this regulation is actually working properly. So how do we know a regulation process was followed for aged-care minutes when there has been no evaluation on the regulation change?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Tyrrell for the question. It relates to the improvements we've been putting into place in aged care around additional requirements for care minutes for elderly Australians. This is a relatively recent change, as you know, to staffing requirements in aged care. The feedback the government is getting from consumers and providers is that it is making a difference across the aged-care sector.

I'm not certain, and I don't have the details in front of me, on the evaluation of the care minutes in residential aged care, although I believe that it would be being done. I'll quickly skim and see if I can see if there is a requirement or a timeframe. Certainly, the care minutes have improved the quality of care going to residents in aged-care facilities. The government is watching this as part of our response to improving care in aged care, and we will continue to do so. I'll see if there's further information I can provide.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, first supplementary?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While statistics released by the government show that half of Tasmania's residential aged-care facilities are not meeting their care minute targets, the Office of Impact Analysis hasn't looked at the regulatory impact statement requirements between 2021 to 2023, which makes me think there's been no quality analysis of the regulation change to aged-care minutes. Another certificate has already been issued to support the government's planned increase. If we know the system isn't working now due to workforce issues, where are the extra staff coming from to support these extra 15 minutes?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Tyrrell for the question and for her ongoing interest in aged care, particularly in her state of Tasmania. I don't think you can just see care minutes in isolation from the other work that's being done in aged care to improve the sustainability of the sector and to encourage staff into the sector. For example, our support for the aged-care pay increase is linked to attracting and retaining staff in the aged-care sector. If you are getting better pay and better recognition for the work that you would do, you're not going to see the separation rates and changes or the loss of staff through that time.

But this is an adjustment for the sector. As you said, some areas are not able to meet those requirements, and that's something that we're going to have to continue to focus on. Certainly in my feedback that I've got from aged-care providers, the wage increase has been the single biggest thing that has changed the workforce situation for them. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, second supplementary?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government's $2.2 billion investment in aged care is just a stopgap. It won't touch the more than 13,000 registered nurses and 32,000 personal care workers we need to fix the workforce gap. The government has had more than two years to get this right: two years to support the workforce, two years to evaluate the regulation—a regulation you're about to add an extra 15 minutes to. Even the Australian National Audit Office said there was no evaluation strategy in October last year. Why is there still no publicly available information on the evaluation of the regulation?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to take further information on that. My expectation and the leadership that's been shown by the Minister for Aged Care will be that these reforms to aged care would be scrutinised and evaluated over time, but that they are relatively new reforms.

I would again say that the extra investment that you cite going into aged care is a very small part of the extra investment. In terms of wages, it was significantly more than that in order to retain and attract people into the roles that you speak about, including for registered nurses. So, yes, there is more to do, but we have invested significantly in the workforce and in reforms and we're continuing to discuss further opportunities for aged-care reform during this term of parliament.