Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Shortland for her motion. It gives me the opportunity to reflect on what wonderful contributions our older or senior Australians have made to our community over the years. I note that the member makes reference in her motion to the positive reform agenda for older Australians and claims to have delivered enormous commitments and investment to aged care by increasing the age pension, reforming the aged-care system and helping older Australians work longer. There are a few little bits and pieces there. We have had the change in superannuation so that people still working can get super between 70 and 74, and I think that is a positive move. Certainly in my previous life in the financial services sector that was a frustration for a lot of my clients that were still working in that age bracket.

This is a sector that is absolutely buried underneath layers of regulation and red tape and is possibly one of the most regulated sectors in our country. I think it is instructive to note that since 2007 there have been more than 20 reviews and inquiries relating to ageing and aged-care issues, including three by the Productivity Commission. It took over 250 days for this government to respond to just one of these reports, the 2011 landmark Productivity Commission report.

Of all of these reports, only a few recommendations have been picked out by this government. They have increased the age pension and they support older Australians staying in the workforce longer, which, as I have said, we on our side have supported. But at the end of the day a total of $1.6 billion has been cut out of the aged-care sector, resulting in local aged-care providers finding it really difficult to cope. Aged-care nurses are spending a third of their shifts doing paperwork to keep up with the excessive regulations placed on this sector. By all means this is a sector that needs regulation, but not in this current form. Imagine your elderly parent or grandparent missing out on essential care because a nurse is too busy working on paperwork to attend to their needs. Our older Australians deserve better. They have contributed so much to our country and have made it the great place that it is for us to enjoy today, and we need to ensure that they get the care they deserve.

It is interesting looking at this motion and I think it is worthwhile separating out the issues, because quality aged care is a separate issue to pension increases and having older Australians in the workforce. If we are talking about a positive reform agenda for aged care, then we are not quite there under the current government. Since the last federal election, the coalition has continued to listen to the aged-care sector. We confirm that we are committed to supporting older Australians with better and more sustainable aged-care services. Our agreement will deliver better and more affordable aged care by reducing red tape and enabling nurses to get back to nursing and taking care of residents; by providing certainty for aged care for older Australians, underpinned by a high-quality framework; by delivering value for money through revised subsidy arrangements; by ensuring certainty for the aged-care workforce, by establishing a more flexible and viable aged-care provider network to meet the care needs now and into the future; and by ensuring that the comfort and safety of older Australians is maximised.

The coalition wants reform in partnership with the aged-care sector; it does not believe that fundamental reforms should be imposed from above. If successful at the next federal election, we will immediately commence consultation with stakeholders in the ageing and aged-care sector on the framework of the aged-care provider agreement, including consideration of the recommendations of the Productivity Commission. We in the coalition will always support measures to assist the senior members of our community. (Time expired)

See this speech in context