Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. The department informed the Senate that 120,000 older Australians are waiting to be assessed for aged care, some for as long as 12 months. This is in addition to the estimated 100,000 older Australians waiting for up to 12 months for their approved package to materialise. Is the government deliberately slowing the aged-care assessment process so that the reality of approximately 200,000 older Australians waiting up to two years for care isn't revealed?

Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. The Labor government is delivering very ambitious reforms to the in-home aged-care system to make sure that every older person can get the care they need in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible. Recommendation 28 of the aged-care royal commission called for one single assessment process, and that's what the government is currently delivering. We're rolling out a new aged-care assessment system, one that'll be quicker, reduce wait times and improve the experience for older people and their loved ones. Rather than older Australians needing separate assessments as their needs change, the system is designed to make it easier for them to access the care they need.

We acknowledge that wait times for aged-care assessments are longer than we would like, and we're working on that as we speak. Record levels of Australians are seeking home-care services. Last year alone, over 521,000 home-support and comprehensive assessments were completed. This is an incredibly complex system, and the assessment waitlist contains those seeking lower level care along with crossover and duplication of numbers on the MPS. The two systems can't simply be jammed together to create a bigger number. For example, 99 per cent of people waiting for a home-care package at their approved level are already receiving home care through a lower level home-care package or are approved for Commonwealth Home Support Program services and so may already be receiving a level of care.

These matters that we've discussed today are exactly why we're reforming this system from the ground up. Big reforms don't happen overnight, but we're working hand in hand with assessment organisations—including the states and territories, who provide the majority of assessments—to ensure a smooth transition to minimise impacts on older Australians and, importantly, to get them the very best care that we can as quickly as possible.