Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move the requests for amendments on sheet 3414 together:

(1) Clause 2, page 2 (at the end of the table), add:

(2) Page 171 (after line 30), at the end of the Bill, add:

Schedule 4—Release of remaining home care packages

Aged Care Act 1997

1 After subsection 23B-1(5)

Insert:

(5A) The Secretary must, as soon as practicable after the commencement of this subsection, make such determinations under subsection (1) as are necessary to ensure all home care packages that were available but not released immediately before that commencement under the Australian Government framework known as the National Priority System are released to recipients.

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Statement pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000

Amendments (1) and (2)

Amendments (1) and (2) are framed as requests because they amend the bill to provide for the release of home care packages in accordance with the Commonwealth aged care system.

This will likely increase the amount of expenditure under the appropriation in section 96-10 of the Aged Care Act 1997.

Statement by the Clerk of the Senate pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000

Amendments (1) and (2)

If the effect of the amendments is to increase expenditure under the standing appropriation in section 96-10 of the Aged Care Act 1997 then it is in accordance with the precedents of the Senate that the amendments be moved as requests.

What these amendments do is make sure that all new packages that are in the system are released immediately. We want to make sure that older Australians who have been assessed as needing care get these packages as soon as they are able to be delivered. So these amendments force the government's hand in making sure that any new home-care packages are released immediately upon royal assent.