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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister agree that it is the job of governments to look after the most vulnerable in our society, and that under this Prime Minister at least 622 aged-care residents have died of COVID this year? As of Friday there are almost 12,000 aged-care residents and workers infected with COVID in more than 1,100 facilities. Up to a quarter of shifts are going unfilled. Why has the Prime Minister failed to do his job?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can confirm, as I did in response to the Leader of the Labor Party's earlier question, that the data I have is that in 2022—so far this year—some 587 deaths are reported in residential aged-care facilities that are COVID related. And I note the advice that was provided to us just this week by Professor Brendan Murphy, who continues to make this point, that there were some 4,141 Australians living in residential aged-care facilities who have passed away since 1 January this year. And many Australians, we know around 1,000 per week on average, pre-COVID would pass away in aged-care facilities each week. And what Professor Murphy has reminded us is that, when people are passing away with COVID, that does not necessarily mean that they have passed away because of COVID. That is the medical advice. That is the health advice. And our task is to ensure that all of those in aged care—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

can receive the best quality aged care that can possibly be provided under the severe strains that are being imposed on the aged-care system as a result of the pandemic.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Corangamite.

Opposition members interjecting—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite may wish to dismiss those pressures. They may wish to pretend that they are not there. And I think that that would diminish the great sacrifice and work that is being done by people in our aged-care system to try and manage that support as best as they can, people who have been provided with record support by the Commonwealth government. I do not believe that the challenges that we're seeing in aged-care facilities should be a subject for the opposition to seek to exploit for political gain in this way. I would urge the opposition to work with the government to address this challenge and not to undermine the confidence of Australians in an aged-care sector that is clearly under pressure because of the pandemic. All Australians are working as hard as they can to provide the best care they can.