Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the question and appreciate her interest in this matter. I also thank her for raising the matters relating to Kevin and, as I extended to a colleague yesterday in this House, if she is able to provide me with Kevin's details after question time, I will personally follow up and see where Kevin's matter is at.

Kevin's story is such a great example of why our aged-care reforms are so very important. Our government is driving landmark reforms to in-home care, ensuring that older Australians get the care they need in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible. In line with recommendation 28 of the aged-care royal commission, we're delivering a single streamlined assessment process that will help people just like those the question refers to. The new aged-care assessment system we're rolling out is designed to be faster, reduce wait times and improve the overall experience for older people and their families.

Instead of requiring multiple assessments with different providers, the new system will make it simpler for older Australians to access the right level of care when and where they need it, especially as their needs change over time. We recognise—I've said this before—that current wait times for aged-care assessments are longer than they should be, and we're working hard to address this in every corner of Australia. Median wait time for an aged-care needs assessment from when a referral is issued to when the support plan is completed is currently 25 days, and these wait times are continuing to reduce under our single-assessment system.

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