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

I acknowledge the amendment from Senator Siewert and the intent of the amendment from the opposition. We are in a circumstance right now where we are just some weeks from the final report of the royal commission. Clearly, the government will seriously consider the report of the royal commission, and I note that Senator Siewert's second reading amendment is based on counsel assisting's draft recommendations to the royal commissioners. We don't yet know what the royal commission's final report will say. We are expecting that there will be some expectation of further reform and urgency with respect to the management of home-care waiting lists. I want to put on the record the fact that the government continues to invest, as has been noted during the debate. There will be an additional 39,105 packages allocated within the system this financial year, reaching somewhere like 195,000—