Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. Minister, the Kooyong community recently mourned the loss of Neale Daniher. Neil bore motor neurone disease with dignity and strength. I have another community member, Graham Crossan, also living with MND. Graham's 80. He's ventilator dependent, and he needs 24-hour care. But your integrated assessment tool says he doesn't qualify for the highest level of support. It's a disgrace. Minister, how can you possibly justify your integrated assessment tool to Australians like Graham?

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

I thank the member for Kooyong for her question, and I thank her for her engagements with me and my office in regard to aged-care matters. I'm very familiar with Mr Crossan's case. It is indeed a very difficult situation that he and his family face. I also acknowledge his wife, Mrs Crossan, and the care that she provides and the advocacy that she's provided on his behalf throughout this difficult period for their family. Out of respect for their privacy, I'm not going to go into the specific details of their case in the chamber, although, as his representative—

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

The member for Kooyong on a point of order.

Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Crossans would very much appreciate if you could deal with the specifics of Mr Crossan's case in the House.

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

The minister has made clear how he's going to handle the situation, but I thank the member for Kooyong for allowing the House to consider that. The minister is entitled to answer, making sure he's directly relevant.

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

As I was saying, out of respect for the privacy for the Crossan family, as I would have for any older person across our country, I'm not going to outline the specifics of their case in this chamber. I'm most happy to meet with you in a more appropriate setting—and with the Crossan family, if necessary—to work through the specifics. Nevertheless, I am remaining constantly briefed on the situation of Mr Crossan and the circumstances that he faces. In a more general sense, I want to make some comments about motor neurone disease and how it's dealt with within the aged-care system, because that is relevant to this particular case amongst others.

As everyone in this chamber would know, MND is a rare, incurable and fatal condition, and one of its main devastating characteristics is its rapid deterioration in physical function. As you point out, earlier this month, we lost Neale Daniher, who was a giant of the AFL but more importantly an absolute legend when it came to advocating for awareness and for a cure for this cruel disease. Because of the speed at which the condition of people with MND can change, the government has amended the aged-care rules to recognise MND as a discrete specific condition warranting urgent priority under our aged-care system and specifically under Support at Home. This change will give all older Australians with MND priority access to the Support at Home program.

The change applies retrospectively, meaning that older Australians with MND who have already been assessed and were waiting for a Support at Home place, as well as those approved in the future, will be prioritised for urgent access to their funding. This reflects our government's willingness to listen and adjust where the evidence tells us to. We're guided by people's experiences of the aged-care system, and we'll keep refining to ensure that the system is one that people can trust. I reiterate to the member for Kooyong my willingness to immediately meet with her and discuss in greater detail the situation facing Mr Crossan and the Crossan family and to continue to work to get the very best outcome for Mr Crossan and for all sufferers of this horrible disease.