House debates

Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Questions without Notice

COVID-19: Aged Care

2:58 pm

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. News Corp has launched the Aged Care 360 campaign to bring greater transparency to the aged-care sector. Will the Prime Minister provide the transparency that families of aged-care residents deserve, including the details of COVID infections and deaths, by aged-care facility, giving families exactly the same information that is available to the Prime Minister himself?

Photo of Greg HuntGreg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | | Hansard source

Very importantly, one of the things we've sought to do right from the outset, when we set out in February the national strategy of containment—to flatten the curve and build the ability to deal with every situation, to go to the previous question—is to seek to save every life, fight for every life, because, as the Prime Minister said then and again today, every life matters. Against that background, what we've sought to do is twofold. Firstly, it is to build that capacity within the aged-care sector, to ensure that there is funding, to ensure that there are the places. We've boosted the capacity of the aged-care sector from $13 billion to $22 billion to $23 billion to $24 billion and to $25 billion. In addition to that, each day now we have a report from the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, set up jointly with the Victorian government, on the activities and actions and on the outcomes and the sad losses. That is provided by the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre. That is a joint partnership with the Victorian government. That sets out the transfers—now over 480 transfers, for example—that have been carried out, that sets out the work of the ADF and that sets out the terrible losses and figures.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. It was a very specific question. News Corp's campaign goes to every state that News Corp tabloids are running, including The Courier-Mail, the Daily Telegraph

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition can resume his seat. The Leader of the House on the point of order.

Photo of Christian PorterChristian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | | Hansard source

The minister was asked a question about the provision of information. Then he has provided an answer about the provision of precisely the type of information that was asked and he's clearly relevant.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I've listened to the point of order. I think the minister was being relevant and then enlarging on the topic, but I'll listen carefully to his final point.

Photo of Greg HuntGreg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | | Hansard source

With regard to the figures, on a state-by-state basis, in terms of lives lost within aged-care facilities, there have been zero in the ACT, 29 in New South Wales, zero in the Northern Territory, one in Queensland, none in South Australia, three in Tasmania, 433 in Victoria, one in Western Australia, which is 467 across Australia. I would note that the opposition has made much of the accuracy of particular figures. There are two occasions—and I would not have brought this to the attention of the House until the fact that the opposition seems to have raised this—

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I say to the minister that he needs to stop there. It's not an opportunity to answer a different question. The question was specific. He's stuck to the facts but it did not talk about the opposition in any way, shape or form.

Photo of Greg HuntGreg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | | Hansard source

There were two occasions when the Leader of the Opposition—

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

No. The minister will resume his seat.