Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today about something which is very important in my electorate of Curtin and is actually really important across Australia. The interim report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, released on 31 October, revealed some difficult, confronting and at times unimaginably horrific stories. The report and the hearings to date tell us that some aged-care providers are falling far short of delivering the safe, high-quality care expected by senior Australians and their loved ones. The royal commission has made it patently clear that all parts of the aged-care settings in this country—including funding, legislative and policy framework, standards and quality audit processes—are under the microscope, and significant changes are likely to be recommended and needed to address the systemic issues which are being identified.

It was one of the first acts of the Prime Minister to establish this royal commission and this, along with the government responses since that time, have demonstrated the absolute commitment of this government to getting this right. Without seeking to pre-empt the final report of the royal commission or its recommendations, the government recognises that it cannot wait until late 2020 to act and it has been implementing reform and increasing its investment since September 2018. More than $1 billion in aged-care reforms have been announced since September 2018. Some of those reforms include establishing the new Aged Care Quality And Safety Commission, strengthening regulation through risk based targeting and information sharing, implementing new and tougher aged-care quality standards, mandating participation in the quality indicator program and increasing the provision of home care packages.

In response to the interim report released on 31 October, the government announced—just today—further steps to identify the three priority areas identified in the report. They include further increases to the number of home care packages; providing $25 million to improve medication management programs to reduce the use of medication as a chemical restraint on aged-care residents and at home; new restrictions and education for prescribers on the use of medication as a chemical restraint; delivering $10 million for additional dementia training; and investing $4.7 million to help meet new targets to remove younger people with disabilities from residential aged care.

As I said at the beginning, aged care is a significant issue in my electorate of Curtin, with almost 16.5 per cent of the population aged over 65 years. To cater for this older population there are over 20 aged-care residential providers, providing just over 1,700 beds in Curtin. For senior Australians in Curtin who choose to remain in their own home there are also significant numbers of providers offering transition and home care services.

Over the last month, I have been fortunate to visit and engage with a number of these different aged-care providers. I think it is really important to note that, amidst the horrors of what the royal commission is uncovering, what I have found is that there are also many providers who go above and beyond what is mandated or required at law and that their carers, their nurses, their allied health professionals, their cleaners, their admin staff and their volunteers are incredibly dedicated, compassionate and professional.

In addition to visiting the providers, I recently held a roundtable discussion with leading aged services in Australia and a number of those Curtin based providers to discuss the current challenges as well as opportunities for future improvement. Among the many issues we discussed were the present and future workforce needs; the funding pressures and flexibility of funding models; the challenges and demands placed on the workforce; the rising number of people requiring dementia care; and that we need to ensure that, in addition to all of the services that we provide, we support the risk of social isolation potentially faced by those senior Australians who choose to live at home. I would like to thank all of the Curtin aged-care providers who've met with me. They have been honest and direct with me and explained some of the more challenging aspects of the aged-care environment.

The royal commission is exposing some significant failures in our aged-care system. As I noted before, this government is absolutely committed to doing what needs to be done. It is doing it now and it will continue to do so. Ultimately, the simple fact is that we need to do that. It is our responsibility. We can and we must do better, and we will do better.