Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I think the announcement last night around ageing in the budget was an incredibly positive one. It draws on the needs of Australians in this country, who, as they age, want greater choices. We are living longer, as we heard. We want to support Australians, as they live longer, to live fuller, more independent lives. What the findings and the research suggest, when I head out to the regions, is that Australians want to stay in their homes longer. So we need to ensure we have the relevant support packages ready and able to be used for them. We have record aged-care funding in the budget—an additional $5 billion over the next four years. That's the reality. So I know the opposition likes to make some rhetorical arguments around our lack of support here, but the facts speak for themselves. There is record funding into aged care—