Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. Minister, on 1 July this year your government brought in a requirement to have a 24/7 registered nurse in every aged-care home, against the recommendation of the royal commission and in the middle of a serious workforce crisis. In the last few weeks, the Mount Morgan aged-care home has announced it will close because of this requirement. This will separate Marlene Sealey from her husband, Fred, who has dementia. They were just around the corner from each other; now they will be at least a 40-minute drive apart. How many other aged-care homes have not met your requirement and will close? And how many other families like Marlene's will be impacted by your new requirements?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Canavan for the question, and I would start by saying the government doesn't apologise for being ambitious for aged care and for increasing staffing levels to improve the care of older Australians. It's been very clear for some time that one of the issues facing aged care was the lack of access to clinical expertise throughout the day, and the provision of 24/7 nurses is one of the ways that we can improve care for older Australians who are living in residential aged care. This, of course, has been supported by large parts, almost the entirety, of the aged-care sector, which agrees that this is a sensible and much needed reform.

There has been a sensible exemption arrangement put in place to allow for residential aged-care facilities to transition to the new arrangements. I know that the aged-care minister has been dealing with the sector and talking about the implementation of it, and it is a sensible arrangement to acknowledge that there will be areas where that nursing requirement won't be able to be reached in the first instance. I will come back to the Senate if I am getting this number wrong, but I understand that so far 55 homes have applied for an exemption, and I think that relates to homes under 30 beds in MMM 5 to 7 areas to allow them the time to transition to these new arrangements.

In relation to the closures, I will see if there is anything further I can come back to the Senate on. There have been a number of closures. My understanding is that, when you look back over time, there have been closures of aged-care facilities not necessarily linked to the 24/7 nursing care arrangements.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan, a first supplementary?

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, since your government's nurse requirement came into effect, aged-care homes that are eligible for the exemptions you've mentioned have been forced to report every 30 minutes that they do not have a registered nurse on site. These are rural and remote aged-care homes already facing significant challenges that now face significant administrative burdens because of your government's decisions. Sadly, as I've said, we've already seen facilities close because of this. How many more exempted homes will close because of the government's punitive requirements?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, the government doesn't apologise for putting in place 24/7 nursing arrangements to improve the quality of care. I do find it staggering, frankly, that the previous government of 10 years, who oversaw a royal commission whose interim report title was Neglectlet's not forget that—

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Canavan?

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order on relevance. The question was on the government's requirements. Almost immediately the minister has gone to the previous government. This is a decision of the new government. I ask that she be brought to this question about her government's decision. It's got nothing to do with the previous government.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Canavan. The minister was being directly relevant to your question. I'll continue to listen and draw her to the question if necessary.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Link to this | Hansard source

I was just providing some much-needed context for the question which Senator Canavan was raising. We have invested billions of dollars into aged care, whether it be to retain the workforce with a wage increase, recognising that they had been undervalued and underpaid for a long period of time, or so that we can keep residential aged-care facilities, whether they be in the cities, the regions or remote Australia, available for all Australians to get the care that they deserve and that they expect.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan, a second supplementary?

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

As you have noted, the exemption requirement is extremely limited and only for a certain amount of time. Some of these rural areas will never be able to meet these requirements. So when will the government consider expanding exemption requirements further so that these requirements do not force more aged-care homes to close and more families like Marlene and Fred Sealey to be separated at their time of need?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind Senator Canavan I'm not aware of the case that he references. I'm not rejecting it at all. I understand the hurt that that would cause to that couple. I do accept that. But I also accept that aged-care facilities close for a range of reasons, as we have been seeing year in and year out. That is not peculiar to the requirement for 24/7 nurses. We will continue with a very sensible approach to the implementation of this measure. As we know, the vast majority of facilities have put in place 2/47 nursing care, and it has improved the quality of care for the residents in those facilities. Where it is not possible, the department will work with those providers to ensure continuity of care for the residents.