Senate debates

Monday, 31 August 2020

Matters of Public Importance

COVID-19: Aged Care, COVID-19: Aged-Care Workers

4:19 pm

Photo of Jess WalshJess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The royal commissioners have given a damning assessment of this minister's response to this crisis, yet still we are struggling to get the details of a full plan for aged care from this minister and from this government. Labor has released our plan for aged care, so where is the government's plan?

We desperately need minimum staffing levels. We need to support aged-care workers with job security and decent pay and not rely on the government's bungled retention bonus. We need better staff training, we need a better surge workforce strategy and we need better transparency and accountability. Why have we been waiting so long for your plan? Why have we been waiting so long for transparency and accountability from this minister and this government? Why do we still not have them? The government has failed. This minister has failed. They have failed to protect our most vulnerable Australians. They've failed the families of those vulnerable Australians. They've failed the workers who care for them. Minister Colbeck is clearly not up to the job. It's time for solutions. It's time for action. It's time for a new minister.

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