Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday, in this place, a question was put to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors by the member for Mayo. It was a straightforward question, and it's a question that tens of thousands of older Australians and their families want answered. That question was: 'What justification does the government have for delaying home-care packages from July to November this year?' Instead of providing an answer, the minister took the opportunity to congratulate himself and his government on the new Aged Care Act and the forthcoming Support at Home program. He gave us a sales pitch, not a solution. Our elderly community doesn't need the spin. They don't need another press release. They need care, they need dignity and they need action now.

In my electorate of Barker, I hear from families every week who are caught up in the endless maze of My Aged Care. I see what this failure looks like on the ground. They tell me of assessments delayed for months on end. They tell me of approvals granted but services unavailable. Last year, I wrote to the previous Minister for Aged Care, raising concerns that members of the Barossa Valley community were unable to receive care that they'd been deemed eligible for. That's still a problem today. These families also tell me of loved ones who simply can't wait any longer and who are forced into residential care earlier than necessary or are left struggling alone at home because the system that was meant to help them is failing them.

I receive emails from people like Antonia. She stated that she's been on the waiting list since March this year, waiting for funds to be made available. She has severe health issues that prevent her from walking properly. All she needs is a wheelchair so she can get from one side of the house to the other without collapsing. Another wrote to me, saying that, after waiting seven months, he and his wife finally got approval for care, only to be put on another 12-month waiting list to wait for the care to be available. Lastly, a daughter wrote to me recently about her mother and stepfather. They were assessed as requiring level 3 and level 4 care packages respectively. Tragically, they both died before that help arrived. These aren't isolated cases. It's evidence of systemic failure. That systemic failure across Australia sees 87,000 older Australians in the same situation. They're not just numbers. They're people who've worked hard, paid their taxes, raised their families and built communities. They deserve better than bureaucratic delays and ministerial boasting.

When the minister refuses to answer as to why this is happening, he's refusing to be accountable to those very Australians. Announcing future programs and legislative reforms doesn't excuse the government's failure to deliver support today. It doesn't excuse My Aged Care's inability to connect people with the timely support they require. Let me be clear: there are parts of the government's aged-care agenda worth supporting. Reforming the Aged Care Act to strengthen rights is positive. Streamlining services through support at home could, if done properly, make a difference, but these reforms mean nothing if you don't address the immediate backlog: 87,000 Australians waiting in pain and frustration. They're confused.

Here's what the minister should do. I hope he's listening. I hope he's not at the Midwinter Ball, because his portfolio needs him to be working every hour God made. He should prioritise clearing the home-care waiting list within the next six months and report progress publicly every month, inject emergency funding to ensure providers have the workforce and the resources to deliver packages immediately, and simplify My Aged Care so families aren't stuck navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth when they should be focusing on caring for their elderly. Be transparent, Minister. Stop the spin. Start giving honest answers in this place, and admit where the system is failing.

The Australian people are patient, but their patience is running thin. Older Australians have earned the right to age with dignity. They've built this nation, and we owe them more than hollow promises and political advertising campaigns. Minister, you can't keep running away from this. You can't keep ignoring the human cost of inaction. Every day you delay more Australians suffer needlessly. Do your job and fix the system. Deliver what seniors require. Until that happens, Minister, we'll hold you to account, not for political gain but because the people we represent can't wait any longer.

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