Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I am puzzled at your response, Minister. It is not my understanding that this amendment extends the reportable assault provision other than in the existing bill. This is not the amendment that extends it to other persons. If indeed you say that neglect and abuse of any kind—effectively, I think that is what you just said—are covered then why not make that quite explicit? It is not in the bill; it talks about physical and sexual abuse and does not refer to neglect. I think neglect is a very important area. If there is a worker in aged care who persistently neglects an older person who is in residential care, strictly speaking this legislation does not appear to me to cover it. It is the same with psychological abuse—it can be devastating to an older person. It seems to me from your response that you do not have a real objection to what is being put here by way of amendment, so I suggest we make it very clear and that you accept this amendment. I hope you are checking right now as to what I have just said about this not extending beyond the current group of people who are required to report. I will change the amendment if that is your interpretation of it. We are talking here about reportable incidents.