Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care. How has the Albanese Labor government addressed the crisis it inherited in aged care, and what is the government doing to build a more equitable and sustainable future that puts older people at its centre?

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Boothby for her question, and I know her passion and commitment to lifting the standard of care for older Australians in Boothby. The Albanese government inherited an aged-care system on the brink. We had to act with urgency, and that is exactly what we've done. Today, as we speak, we have more than 100 urgent reform projects on the go to deal with the extent of the crisis that we inherited. In our first 12 months, we have addressed 69 recommendations of the royal commission. That's almost half. We've legislated new standards for increased care minutes and for 24/7 nursing to improve care. We've introduced a star-rating system to provide more transparency and to help older people make more informed decisions about their care. With capped fees in home care to stop the rorting, we've committed $11.3 billion to lift the wages of our dedicated workers to help build and retain the workforce needed to care for our ageing population.

We've committed to building an aged-care system where older people are at the epicentre. It's why we are drafting a new Aged Care Act that focuses on the rights of older people. This new act will address another 24 recommendations of the royal commission. It's why we'll deliver a new support-at-home system that helps people age at home for longer, and that will address another 21 recommendations of the royal commission. It's why, last week, I announced the members of the Aged Care Taskforce, who will look at how we set up the aged-care sector to succeed, equipped to face the future. They are 15 Australians with experience and expertise in economics, finance, public policy, ageing and aged care. The task force features First Nations people, consumers, providers and workforce advocates. The task force seeks to answer the unanswered questions from the royal commission about how to create an equitable and sustainable sector. The task force will help the Albanese Labor government's seismic shift in aged care from provider focused to person focused, and from funding focused to care focused.

We are already seeing renewed optimism. Pat is a retired aged-care worker. Following the Press Club address last week, she contacted me to say that, after working in aged care for 45 years, this is the most hopeful she has ever felt about aged care. This government recognises both Pat and Pat's service, and the scale of the challenges that we inherited. There is no doubt in my mind that every day we draw heat, or I draw heat, from those opposite just for striving for a higher standard of care for older Australians is a day in office better spent than one tinkering around the margins, merely striving to avoid scrutiny in the first place. That is exactly how those opposite spent their time in office thinking about aged care. The royal commission recognised that, and we won't repeat their shameful legacy.