Kerrynne Liddle SA, Liberal Party
2:31 pm
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. How many Australians have died from COVID in residential aged care since the 2022 election?
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
I'm not sure I have figures since the election—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Senators:
Opposition senators interjecting—
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
Sue Lines President
Minister Gallagher, I ask you to resume your seat. The minister was part-way through a sentence and then the chamber on my left, particularly, became so disorderly, I could not hear her response. I would ask you to listen in respectful silence.
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, as at 2 February, there have been 5,067 deaths nationally: 686 in 2020, 226 in 2021, 3,855 in 2022 and 300 in 2023. Now, given the seriousness of the issue that we are talking about, which is the passing of older Australians in aged-care facilities, I think your behaviour just then was disgusting. You ask a question like that and you behave like that. Absolutely disgusting. I had the information. The difference between me and what happened to Senator Colbeck is that I actually had the information. I'm aware of the numbers. I'm aware of what's happening in aged care. So have a laugh over there, by all means, and disrespect the thousands of people in aged care.
Opposition senators interjecting—
Sue Lines President
Order! Senator Cash, I have a senator on her feet. Senator Urquhart?
Anne Urquhart Tasmania, Australian Labor Party
I would ask Senator McGrath to withdraw the statement—what he called Senator Gallagher.
James McGrath Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
I withdraw everything that I called Senator Gallagher.
James McGrath Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
The point of order taken by Senator Urquhart asked me to withdraw a comment. You said you didn't know which comment. You asked me to respectfully withdraw a comment. I said many things. I withdraw all of them to assist the smooth running of the chamber.
James McGrath Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
I withdraw respectfully.
Sue Lines President
Senator Liddle, were you on a point of order?
Honourable senators interjecting—
Order! Senators Wong and McGrath! I'm still waiting. Senator Liddle, your first supplementary question.
Kerrynne Liddle SA, Liberal Party
My point of order is on relevance. The question was specific to—
Sue Lines President
I understand that Senator Gallagher has finished her response.
Kerrynne Liddle SA, Liberal Party
2:35 pm
r LIDDLE () (): Why did your government change the way aged-care deaths are reported on the exact same day that we saw more aged-care residents had died from COVID in eight months under your watch than in 2½ years under the coalition? What are you trying to hide?
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
Can I again just say that any death in relation to COVID-19 and, indeed, in residential aged care, is a tragedy. I think the behaviour of those opposite in the previous question reflects on them and speaks for itself.
Data on the number of deaths in residential aged care is reported directly from aged-care providers to the department. This is not an official dataset and is used for aged-care surveillance purposes. It is not directly comparable with published figures on the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Australia.
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
I rise on a point of order. I think the question was very specific—around why they changed the means of reporting and not actually asking for a reiteration of how that is reported.
Sue Lines President
I think the minister is being relevant, but I shall listen carefully. Minister, please continue.
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
I reject the assertion and the implication of the way the question is put. That's my answer to the question. I am explaining about how aged-care deaths in Australia are reported. If you're not interested in that, that's not my problem. You asked the question, I'm trying to answer it. The review and adjustment to COVID death reporting, including the timing to release the updated data, was a decision of the department. The Minister for Health was briefed in advance of the release— (Time expired)
Kerrynne Liddle SA, Liberal Party
2:37 pm
In February 2022, the now Prime Minister said that deaths in aged care were a measure of performance. We know that more aged-care residents have now died from COVID in eight months under the Albanese Labor government than in the entire first 2½ years of the pandemic. Given this tragic statistic, will the Prime Minister now admit that he has completely failed on this important measure of performance and step up to the job of protecting older Australians?
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
Well, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the mortality data—and I will correct the record, if I have to, but the mortality data that I've seen is decreasing compared to the first waves, when residents in aged care were completely unprotected because of the way you rolled out the vaccine rollout. When you rolled out the vaccine rollout, you didn't meet your own targets. You set yourself the targets. What we saw was people in residential aged care who were completely unprotected.
Honourable senators i nterjecting—
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
I can barely hear Senator Gallagher and she's just here.
Sue Lines President
I have asked all members in this place to refrain from commenting and arguing across the chamber and from calling out repeatedly. I would ask once again that you listen respectfully. Minister.
Katy Gallagher ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service
Thank you. The difference between the approach now and the numbers of people with the different waves is that back in 2020 people were left completely unprotected—completely unprotected!—because of the bungle in the rollout. What we have now with omicron, is that the vast majority, in fact very high numbers, of people in residential aged care are protected through the vaccination program.