Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

It is with an extraordinarily heavy heart that I make my contribution here today because in this building there's quite often a lot of political point scoring and partisan political grandstanding. But, when it comes to the issue of the Support at Home program, the minister and the government need to understand there is a crisis in our communities right now. I'm not here today to try and score a political point. I'm here today to say to the minister: 'Please listen to us. Listen to the cries for help from Australian families and older Australians who are literally dying in their own homes waiting for support to arrive.'

Just over, I think, six weeks ago, in the last sitting period, I raised my concerns about a 99-year-old couple by the names of Frank and Valma living in Paynesville. Frank and Valma were assessed as being eligible for Support at Home packages. Remember, I said they were 99 years old. They were told they would have to wait between eight and 12 months to receive that support to stay in their own homes—eight to 12 months and they were 99 years old. We warned the government and warned the minister that there was a very real risk they might die waiting for help. That's what's happened. Frank has died. Before I got a response from the minister on 21 April, Frank died on 14 April. These are the real consequences. There have been 4,800 people who have died on the waiting list for Support at Home packages in the last 12 months. I never met Frank—I spoke to his son—but I do know he deserved better than this.

It took the minister 74 days to respond to my letter. When I say 'respond to my letter', I don't know if the minister read the letter, because this minister, the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, doesn't actually sign his letters. His chief of staff signs his letters. I've got no idea if the minister is actually reading my letters on behalf of people like Frank and Valma. Frank and Valma aren't the only ones. We have repeatedly written to the minister in relation to Support at Home packages, and I don't know if he reads the letters. If he doesn't read the letters, how does he know what's happening in our communities? I am sick of getting responses from a chief of staff. I've been a cabinet minister, and I signed every bloody letter that went out of my office. I find it outrageous that, in matters of life-and-death situations, I'm getting letters signed by a chief of staff, and I have no idea if my pleas on behalf of my constituents are even being seen or heard by the responsible minister.

I appeal to the minister. This is not party politics. We want to try and help him. We want it to work. We want aged people in our community to have the of dignity staying in their own homes for longer, because we know they do better in their own homes if they get a little bit of help. But right now they are not getting that help. They're being assessed and then they're being told to wait eight to 12 months for support. Too many people are dying waiting for that help. Minister, read the letters and come and talk to us about how we can get a better deal for older Australians.

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