Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is said that a nation can be judged by the way it treats its young and its elderly. By this sentiment, this government should really be ashamed. The latest government report indicates that more than 129,000 older Australians are waiting for their already approved home care packages. I just want to say that figure one more time: in 2019 there are over 129,000 older Australians who have approved home care packages but who have not been provided with those packages. It really is a disgrace. Since 2017, the wait list for home care has grown from 88,000 to more than 129,000.

As lawmakers in this House, we have an absolute obligation to support our ageing population, and we know the bubble is just ahead of us. Our population is ageing, but we know that population bubble is coming down the road. Forget the Canberra bubble; we've got the ageing-population bubble coming, and we can't even cope with the demand on packages right now. This is seriously a policy void that the Morrison government must tackle.

Like so many others across the nation, the number of older Australians in my electorate who are waiting for the care they desperately need and deserve keeps getting higher and higher. My office regularly hears from constituents in absolutely heartbreaking situations, like the woman who had to pay hundreds of dollars for her husband to be in hospital because she couldn't care for him at home and his aged-care package hadn't been delivered despite waiting months. It's not uncommon to hear about people who know they're eligible for a level 3 or 4 package but who apply for a level 2 because they know they'll probably get that quicker than the one they desperately need. If ever there was a requirement for a massive shakeup, it's aged care in Australia.

Older Australians in my community are entering residential aged care, and even more, emergency departments, instead of receiving their approved home care package—so much for growing old in your own home in safety and dignity. When we talk about the number of people who are waiting for care, it's important to take a step back and think about the lives behind those numbers. Earlier this month, I met some extraordinary Australians in our community, and I took part in Meals on Wheels. I hadn't done that for many, many years, but I went along with Beresfield Community Care to deliver the Friday Meals on Wheels. It was an incredible experience and I encourage all elected representatives to do some Meals on Wheels in their community. You get to go into the homes and meet older Australians, some of whom have worked hard and paid their taxes and are now doing it pretty tough. They really look forward to those meals. Not only that, it can be a very lonely existence for many of them. But they get up and they're there waiting for Meals on Wheels. It was truly a terrific opportunity for me to talk to people about their lives and just how they're feeling as they age in their homes. Whilst services like cleaning, making the bed and running the vacuum are great—and they are provided—I believe some of the big maintenance issues for people who are ageing in their own homes also need to be tackled. People are living in their family home but maintaining the home, and not just having it cleaned, is a real issue.

I want to touch briefly on Mary Frances Brennan. Last December I spoke about Mary, who had been waiting 530 days for her home care package. She was in and out of hospital with what her son John described as preventable illnesses, such as infections. In December, Mary was told it would take at least another six months for her to receive her package. When I first mentioned Mary, I said it was heartbreaking. Well, it's even more heartbreaking now because I stand here today to tell you that seven months after that speech Mary Frances Brennan passed away, having never received the aged care package she had applied for two years and 20 days earlier. Mary's son John and her husband, Peter, acknowledged that her home care package may not have prolonged her life, but they know that it would have made her quality of life so much better. Truly, where are we in Australia in 2019 when people are dying for the help they deserve and desperately need?

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