Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I spoke to Ron Fletcher. He lives in Albion Park in my electorate. Ron spoke to me about his wife Mary, who sadly died in May 2017. They were just 10 days short of their golden wedding anniversary when she passed away. Ron described the final months of Mary's life and his role in caring for her, how she was moved from home to palliative care and finally to a nursing home. They both deserved better than the way they were treated. Ron told me that, while Mary was assessed as needing an in-home aged-care package in late 2016, the help never arrived. Ron tells me that a level 4 in-home aged-care package didn't become available until September this year. He received a letter advising him of that—years too late.

It's awful to have to say this but it needs to be said: Mrs Fletcher died waiting for the in-home care that she needed and deserved. We failed Mary and we failed her family and we're failing thousands of families just like them. Right now, there are approximately 120,000 people waiting for an in-home aged-care package. We're advised that around 16,000 died before they received them. Last week, the government said they'd fund 10,000 more. We welcome it, but it's a drop in the ocean. We need much more, much sooner.