Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Griff, for the question. It is an important question to discuss. This government has worked extremely hard over recent years, including calling the royal commission to conduct an extensive review of the industry and how we might redesign it moving forward. The issues that Senator Griff talks about will be, quite rightly, considered as part of that royal commission process. I'm certain that Centre Alliance and those associated will make representations to the royal commission appropriately to put those issues forward.

The legislation that we passed last year came out of recommendations of the Carnell-Paterson review into the terrible circumstances that occurred in South Australia at a government owned nursing home there. That was to bring together into one organisation the regulatory work of the quality and safety commissioner all under one roof, rather than having the split between the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which we created as part of the recommendation process of the Carnell-Paterson review at the beginning of last year. We have brought all of that under the umbrella of one organisation, which was part of those recommendations. It was important that that legislation passed before Christmas, because the new body was due to be formed on 1 January this year—which it was.

The government believes, even though those issues that Senator Griff talks about are important—and there are measures being put in place with respect to transparency—the measures in the amendments brought forward by Senator Griff were best considered in the context of the royal commission, rather than just through an amendment in the chamber. So the government is quite happy to—