Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. In my electorate, a 90-year-old constituent who suffers from Parkinson's has been told it will be up to 12 months before he receives a home-care package. His daughter has to give up her permanent job as a teacher to care for him. As a result of Labor deferring the commencement of home-care packages from 1 July to 1 November, a vulnerable 90-year-old Australian is suffering for too long. Will the minister, as an immediate priority, expedite the delivery of this man's package before it is too late?

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

I thank the member for their question. This is clearly an important case to the member and to the community. I acknowledge the difficulties being experienced by people such as the member's question refers to. If the member can provide me with the details, I'll personally follow up as a matter of urgency to see what can be done.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Stories like this remind us exactly why our reform program is so important. Our generational reforms will deliver aged care of the highest quality for older Australians, the people who have given so much to our country and who deserve nothing less than the very best care. Central to this is the Support at Home program, which will make it possible for older people to live independently at home for longer, with higher levels of care available close to family and in their own communities. With an ageing population, demand for home-care packages has been growing very, very fast. Today we have more than 300,000 Australians receiving a home-care package, and that's double the number from about five years ago.

As I've said before, we are delivering more care to more Australians than ever before. From 1 November, as Support at Home begins, we will make available more than 80,000 new home-care places in the first 12 months of Support at Home. Until then, my No. 1 priority is making sure that older Australians continue to receive services, which is why packages are being released every single week to the people who need them most. Right now, more than 2,000 new packages are being allocated each and every single week. I can assure the House that anyone and everyone assessed as high priority through the clinical assessment process will continue to receive their package within a month. The short delay in commencing the new Aged Care Act is about ensuring programs like Support at Home are fully ready for older Australians and their families. Now, from 1 November, we will deliver the extra packages, we will ensure that those people who are currently receiving home care continue to receive that home care, and we will continue to work across the parliament to make sure that older Australians receive the very best care that they possibly can.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's far too much interjection from the member for Nicholls. He'll leave the chamber under 94(a). I simply cannot have continual interjection after interjection after interjection. It will not be tolerated.