House debates

Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Statements by Members

COVID-19: Aged Care

1:57 pm

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

On 27 July this year a staff member at the Wyoming Nursing Home, in Summer Hill, tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member had been working at multiple facilities as an agency nurse providing surge workforce capability. That was the case even though experience showed previously in 2020 that aged-care workers needed to be vaccinated, and, more significantly for this case, that aged-care workers should not be working in multiple facilities. But it continued, and it continues today—an unvaccinated nurse working in multiple facilities.

The result has been five deaths of people in my electorate associated with that nursing home—a woman in her 80s, a man in his 90s, another woman in her 80s, another woman in her 80s and, just this week, yet another one at Concord hospital. These five constituents all have families, friends and loved ones who are mourning. The government needs to, when it comes to COVID, look at where things have gone wrong and make sure it gets it right so that we don't repeat the mistakes with tragic consequences. (Time expired)