Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When more than 350 aged-care residents have, tragically, lost their lives to COVID-19, today Australians saw the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians literally demonstrate the Morrison government's attitude to accepting accountability and responsibility when h e stood up, turned his back and walked out on the Senate response to his statement on aged care. There are m ore than 350 people dead as of today and more than 1,100 active cases. These numbers are people. They are their families. They are their loved ones. They are their communities. These numbers are the heartache, the grief and the trauma of loss. And behind these numbers are the horrendous experiences of too many Australians in the last day s of their lives—like Brendan's mother , who hadn't been showered for four days; a nd Elizabeth's mother , who was left in soiled nappies for hours; and the up to five out of every 10 residents in aged - care facilities in today's Australia who are malnourished. Under this government, Australian elders are spending their final time on earth starving . No wonder the interim report of the royal commission into the aged - care sector, a sector that is funded by and regulated by the Morrison government, was entitled Interim report: neglect . No wonder the system is understaffed and broken, when the Prime Minister, as Treasurer, cut almost $2 billion from the budget. The government's neglect of the aged - care system didn't start with this pandemic , but we are seeing its consequences. Not one government senator stood up for Colbeck. Can you blame them?