Senate debates

Thursday, 10 September 2009

Aged Care

5:52 pm

Photo of Carol BrownCarol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

You were not acting and you were not listening. I enjoyed the inquiry into residential and community aged care in Australia. It was quite a good inquiry and we had a lot of support across the parties in listening to the providers and the consumers. Dr Madill said under questioning at the Launceston hearing—and I am paraphrasing, not quoting: ‘You are right. This is not an issue that has developed overnight.’ He acknowledged that the issues he was raising were issues when the Howard government was in power. I would like Senator Barnett to come in here when he has time, and when he wants to put out a press release, and say why he wasn’t listening. Why weren’t you listening, Senator Barnett?—through you, Mr Acting Deputy President.

It never ceases to amaze me what can be achieved in two short years. What has been achieved on the other side is a renewed interest in issues that they have ignored for over a decade—that is what has been achieved. In his contribution, Senator Barnett would like to suggest that they did wonderful things for the aged-care sector. But the government know and the people that participated in the inquiry know exactly what the providers were saying, which was that they had been struggling to have the issues heard for years under the Howard government.

We have heard through Senator Moore, who talked about an inquiry that took place in 2005, that there was no response to that inquiry from the Howard government. Of course that is not going to happen now, and even if they were still here they would not have a response. As I said, it never ceases to amaze me what can be achieved by those on the other side when they are in opposition. Time and time again in this place we have had a complete turnaround by those opposite on issues which for years they chose to ignore, and this time it happens to be in relation to the very important issue of aged care. For years the previous government almost completely neglected this vitally important area when they had the chance to do something about it. Now it seems, as they are sitting comfortably on the other side, they have conveniently decided that this is an area worthy of their attention. The government on the other hand has been acutely aware of the need for constructive action in this area for quite some time.

I also would like to take issue with something that Senator Barnett mentioned in his contribution. He talked about going to see Ms Susan Parr at St Ann’s, who is also the President of Aged and Community Services, Tasmania, ACST. He indicated some statements that he attributed to her. Senator Barnett talked about Ms Parr, and of course we will have a look at those statements. The inquiry has handed down its unanimous report and, as I said, it was an inquiry that enjoyed quite a lot of assistance in trying to get to the bottom of the issues that the providers wanted to put forward. I am sure Senator Barnett would like to know that since we handed down the report we had arranged, through Senator Polley, for Ms Parr and Mr Darren Mathewson, who is the CEO of ACST, to meet with the minister. Mr Mathewson is on record in an interview with the ABC quite recently indicating that he found the meeting with the minister and the discussion that they had to be very positive. ACST are looking forward to working with the minister and, according to Mr Mathewson, have forwarded a copy of their strategy. They are the facts.

Senator Barnett’s whole contribution basically was an attempt to rewrite history, and also was probably an attempt to rewrite his own history and his own actions in this regard. The combination of a number of factors, such as increases in life expectancy and social mobility, has ensured that the future of aged care in this country has become an increasingly significant issue. Arguably nowhere else is this more evident than in my home state of Tasmania. Senator Barnett indicated, and I agree with him, that in Tasmania aged care is a very important issue because we have one of the most rapidly ageing populations in Australia. Further, the projected population of Tasmania in 2030 is 562,630 people, with the number of people aged 65—

Debate interrupted.

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