Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Ageing. What is the latest information on the April 2007 gastroenteritis outbreak at Broughton Hall nursing home?

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Chisholm for her question. Members will be aware that in April 2007 there was a major gastroenteritis outbreak at Broughton Hall nursing home in Camberwell, Victoria. Out of the 22 residents affected, tragically five died. On 17 April 2007, the previous Minister for Ageing announced that Ms Rhonda Parker, who is now the Aged Care Commissioner, would investigate an allegation that a staff member from the Department of Health and Ageing and/or the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency did not respond to calls for help from a Broughton Hall resident. The resident involved was Mr Merson Dunstan, who was in his early 80s. During the outbreak he was taken to hospital and subsequently died. In May 2007, Ms Rhonda Parker’s report was finalised and delivered to the then Minister for Ageing. That was almost 10 months ago and the Dunstan family has heard very little since.

On 7 February 2008, my office contacted Rhonda Parker to inquire about the investigation and express concern about the lack of feedback to the Dunstan family. A day later, on 8 February, Ms Rhonda Parker provided a summary investigation report. I have been advised that the full report was unable to be released publicly due to legal constraints imposed by the Privacy Act. Ms Parker’s investigation has found that, whilst the allegation that departmental staff and/or agency assessors ignored pleas for help was not substantiated by the evidence, she believed there needed to be changes. Ms Parker recommended that during a disease outbreak departmental staff be required to check on actual nursing home residents rather than just examine documentation and meet with management and staff. It is a very sensible recommendation and I do not see why the previous government did not act on it. I have asked the department to work on implementing Ms Parker’s recommendation.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is a ministerial statement. The minister is directly reading from a piece of paper. There are other forms of the House available for her to make this sort of statement, with an appropriate reply from the opposition. This is ridiculous.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was within order and the answer was within order.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday, 10 February, I hand-delivered a copy of Ms Rhonda Parker’s summary investigation report to the family of the late Mr Merson Dunstan. I also took the opportunity to apologise for the previous government’s and the previous minister’s failure to provide any information to the Dunstan family. Whilst it does not bring the matter to a close, I hope it is a step forward for the Dunstan family. It must have been a very frustrating and indeed a very sad nine months for the Dunstan family, and our thoughts are with them as they now face the coroner’s inquest later this year. I now table the summary investigation report provided to the Dunstan family.