Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I can inform the Senate that people with dementia living in residential aged care are being well supported. It is important to make clear to colleagues that the severe behaviours supplement was never paid directly to people with dementia. It was paid to residential aged-care providers who applied for funding. The supplement was not intended to be a top-up for general dementia care in aged-care settings, nor was it the prime mechanism for funding the care of people with dementia.

Funding continues to be available for providers, including for needs associated with dementia, through subsidies determined using the Aged Care Funding Instrument. It is a requirement of Commonwealth funding that each resident receive care of a quality nature appropriate to their needs, and we do remain committed to a range of other assistance for people with dementia. Particularly I should note the $200 million that this government is providing for dementia research.