Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to speak against the motion moved by the member for Corangamite, that the coalition are responsible for the mess the aged-care sector is currently in. The coalition's 2022-23 budget delivered $522 million in funding for aged-care reform. This is on top of the funding contained in the 2021-22 budget.

The coalition delivered record investment across the aged-care sector during its time in government. To paint a very clear picture, the coalition committed $30.1 billion in 2022-23—compared to $13.3 billion committed by the Labor government in 2012-13—a growth of 126 per cent. The total investment made by the coalition, in response to the final report of the royal commission, exceeded more than $19.1 billion. By 2025-26, funding in aged care was estimated to grow to $34. 7 billion per year under the coalition.

Speaking to this bill is very close to home for me. At the age of 86, my father is currently in the aged-care system. This has given me an acute understanding of the issues families face. The aged-care staff who care for my father work tirelessly, and I wish to thank them. But, while visiting him, families of other residents have grabbed me in the corridors to share their own experiences. They've asked for my help to find doctors for their parents or their elderly loved ones.

In my electorate of Capricornia I met recently with the CEO of Benevolent Aged Care, Alison Moss. Alison told me they are struggling to provide quality care due to a lack of staffing. Benevolent Aged Care have 22 beds available in their newly built state-of-the-art facility. Sadly, these beds remain vacant because of struggles with staffing and a shortage of doctors and nurses. There is potential to put on qualified nurses from overseas, but the hoops that providers have to jump through, to recruit this staff, are prohibitive and time consuming for all.

I was notified recently that Access Aged Care, who provide clinical services to residential aged-care facilities, will soon be withdrawing services from Rockhampton. Sadly, even with a vigorous and far-reaching recruitment effort, Access Aged Care have been unable to secure the services of a GP in Rockhampton and will no longer be providing services. A knock-on effect of this is the impact on the already-stretched emergency department of Rockhampton Base Hospital. This hospital currently has one of the worst ambulance ramping rates in Queensland, sitting at a rate of 45 per cent. The dedicated hardworking staff are now further stressed as elderly patients are being sent to A&E for scripts or check-ups that would normally be done by a GP in a nursing home.

The election mantra from this new federal Labor government was 'Medicare, aged care, we care'. During the recent election I heard this over and over again. The public were told that a federal Labor government would listen, they would consult and they would care. As far as issues of a bipartisan nature are concerned, surely fixing the aged-care system is one. I will soon be hosting an aged-care forum, in my electorate of Capricornia, and have written to the Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, to invite her along. I've also written to Minister Wells on many occasions about the situation with aged care in Capricornia and about Access Aged Care pulling out of the Primary Health Network.

In our time in government we engaged in generational reform of the aged-care system, and I'm urging the new federal Labor government to continue this reform for the benefit of all older Australians and their families. I am proud of the coalition's record funding in the area of aged care, but there is still much work to be done. We remain committed to providing older Australians with support to live in their own homes for longer. It is imperative that this new government continue our work to support the aged-care sector.

Finally, I'd like to thank all the workers in the aged-care sector for going above and beyond what is in their job description, from what I have observed. They are so dedicated and amazing people. I look forward to working with the government so we can make the system better for everyone.

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