Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator Colbeck. Can the minister please further update the Senate on the progress of the government's response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety's interim report?

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

Improving the quality and safety of our aged-care system is a top priority for the Morrison government. Today I was pleased to stand with the Prime Minister to announce significant investments which form part of our continuing reforms to the aged-care system. Today we announced that we will deliver a $537 million funding package as an immediate response to the interim report across the three identified priority areas that the royal commission called us to act on. This includes: a $496.4 million package for an additional 10,000 home care packages to be rolled out from 1 December 2019; $25.5 million to improve medical management programs to reduce the use of medication as a chemical restraint on aged-care residents at home; and new restrictions and education for prescribers on the use of medication as a chemical restraint. We're also delivering a $10 million package for additional dementia training and support for aged-care workers and providers, including to reduce the use of chemical restraint, and investing $4.7 million to help meet new targets to remove younger people with disabilities from residential aged care.

The royal commission's interim report is very clear: as a country, a government, an aged-care sector and an entire community, we can and must do better in providing improved support for our older Australians. These measures will complement the major reforms the Morrison government have been undertaking to improve standards, oversight, funding and transparency of the care of older Australians. We will unify the Home Care Packages Program and the Commonwealth Home Support Program in line with the royal commission's direction to deliver a seamless system of care, tailoring services to the needs of the individual. These changes will be guided by the final recommendations of the commission and will give the goal of improving care and ending the wait for home care packages.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Colbeck. Senator Brockman, a supplementary question?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how does today's announcement build on the government's recent investments to support aged-care services in Australia?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not very much!

Senator Polley interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Let the minister commence before the disorderly interjections start, please.

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

The Morrison government continues to take strong and immediate action to respond to the three priorities identified in the aged-care royal commission's interim report. In relation to home care packages, since the 2018-19 budget the government have now invested $2.7 billion in 44,000 new home care packages, and we have more than doubled the number of packages available since Labor left office. These additional 10,000 packages announced today will be focused on the royal commission's identified areas of need and are strongly weighted towards high levels of care.

Our better medication management and dementia training commitment builds on the action we've taken to deliver new restraint regulations. These regulations put explicit obligations on residential aged-care providers in respect of the use of restraints, and the royal commission identified an overreliance on chemical restraints in aged care. Therefore, from 1 January 2020 we will also establish stronger safeguards and restrictions when prescribing—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Colbeck. Senator Brockman, a final supplementary question?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, in addition to these investments, how is a strong economy supporting the government to deliver targeted programs to support senior Australians as they transition to aged care?

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

Our track record in improving aged care since the royal commission was called is extensive. As I have already outlined, we have done the following. We have released 14,275 new residential care places. We have, obviously, established the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. We've implemented new customer-focused aged-care quality standards. We've put in place a new single charter of rights for senior Australians in residential care, covering 14 fundamental protections for all aged-care programs, from safe quality care to independence, information, personal privacy, control, fairness and choice. We've expanded the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program by approximately $50 million over four years. We've provided $4 million to increase aged-care services to people mainly in rural and remote areas through the Multi-Purpose Services Program. We've provided an ongoing 30 per cent increase in the viability supplement, and— (Time expired)