Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a blessing to get old, to age, to have lots of birthdays, to be surrounded by children and grandchildren, like Norma Boyce, who lives at the Estia aged-care facility in Myrtle Bank in my electorate of Sturt and who I recently visited to celebrate her 100th birthday—or like Elodie, who lives at the aged-care facility in Rostrevor, who I was also lucky enough to see on her 101st birthday. You might even be as lucky as my nanna, who made it to the grand age of 90 and who, when she passed, was surrounded by not only her six children and 14 grandchildren but also 10 great-grandchildren. Not everyone gets that opportunity, so to get old is a blessing, and elderly Australians still have a contribution to make as they age. They still have value.

Norma and Elodie are still sharp. My nanna had very strong opinions on the performance of the Adelaide Crows, on politics, on her community. More candles on the birthday cake does not mean fewer opinions, contributions or views or less value. In Australia, being old should not mean being forgotten or overlooked or provided with anything less than exceptional care. Being an older member of the community should not mean you don't have a choice in how you live your life, where you live your life or what support you need to continue to live your life to its fullest. Every day that an older Australian spends in hospital when they should be discharged home or in another, more appropriate care environment is not okay. Every day that an older Australian waits for the service they need to enable them to continue to live their lives the way they want to is not okay. A higher level of care available at home means that more older Australians will be able to get the support they need without going into a clinical setting. Importantly, they'll be able to stay at home as they recover from the health challenges that they face without having to return to hospital. Now, all of these reforms do not happen in one weekend. A major milestone was 1 November 2025, but there is much more to do in order to ensure that every older Australian can live their life with dignity and respect while receiving quality, targeted care. The Albanese Labor government will continue that work to ensure that that goal is achieved.

There are also other groups who are involved in the rebuild of the aged-care system, and I would like to pay tribute to them. The government may set the reform agenda, but those on the ground execute it—primarily the dedicated, compassionate staff who work in aged care, like Megan McNaughton at Bupa Campbelltown, in my electorate of Sturt, whose patience, good humour and empathy are on display every single day. Every day Megan and her team, some of whom have been working in aged care for over 20 years, provide patient, dedicated and empathetic care to residents and their families in often challenging, complex and sometimes sad circumstances. Megan, thank you. Please keep doing what you're doing. You and your team are so valued, by me and by this government, for what you do for others.

The other cohort I would like to acknowledge and thank are those who work tirelessly to ensure that the legalities, policies and guidelines associated with the government's reform agenda are digested, simplified and then conveyed to relevant stakeholders and users. To the legal professionals and advisers—including one of my constituents, Rebecca—I also say thank you. Thank you for your tireless work in going through guidelines, regulations, legislation and policies to try and help your clients—the aged-care providers and the users of aged-care services—understand how the system works and how they can best navigate it. I know that this has not always been easy for you, and that sometimes it has been overwhelming, so I thank you for your contribution to working with the government to reform the aged-care sector so we can all work together to ensure that older Australians receive the dignified care they deserve, where they want to receive it.

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