4 years ago
MORRISON GOVERNMENT’S EXCUSES ON HOME CARE DON’T STACK UP
HON JULIE COLLINS MP
The Morrison Government’s excuses on why it hasn’t funded more home care packages in response to the scathing interim report of the Aged Care Royal Commission don’t stack up.
The Government has known for a long time that Australia is far from having the workforce that is required to care for our ageing population.
But all we’ve seen from this Government on Australia’s aged care workforce is cuts and inaction.
The Liberal Government scrapped Labor’s $1.5 billion Aged Care Workforce Supplement which was specifically designed to address aged care workforce issues.
For more than a year the Morrison Government has been sitting on the Workforce Taskforce Strategy which laid out the actions required to build the workforce Australia’s aged care system needs.
There is no evidence the Government has responded to one of the Strategy’s 14 recommended actions in the last year.
Professor John Pollaers, who chaired the Workforce Strategy Taskforce, gave evidence at the Royal Commission that the Government had failed to even acknowledge his requests for an update on the Government’s progress on responding to his work.
"I got an email response that was all of the past programs of government and I went back and said 'look, that isn't sufficient, I'm asking for a step-by-step response.' I didn't get a response to that email."
The Government has known for a long time that Australia is far from having the workforce that is required to care for our ageing population.
But all we’ve seen from this Government on Australia’s aged care workforce is cuts and inaction.
The Liberal Government scrapped Labor’s $1.5 billion Aged Care Workforce Supplement which was specifically designed to address aged care workforce issues.
For more than a year the Morrison Government has been sitting on the Workforce Taskforce Strategy which laid out the actions required to build the workforce Australia’s aged care system needs.
There is no evidence the Government has responded to one of the Strategy’s 14 recommended actions in the last year.
Professor John Pollaers, who chaired the Workforce Strategy Taskforce, gave evidence at the Royal Commission that the Government had failed to even acknowledge his requests for an update on the Government’s progress on responding to his work.
"I got an email response that was all of the past programs of government and I went back and said 'look, that isn't sufficient, I'm asking for a step-by-step response.' I didn't get a response to that email."
PROFESSOR JOHN POLLAERS, ROYAL COMMISSION, 14 OCTOBER 2019
What was equally concerning was evidence that the Department of Health gave advice to the Government to not formally respond to this Strategy because its track record on responding to other aged care reports was so bad.
When 16,000 older Australians died waiting for home care in just one year, it is not good enough for the Government to offer excuses.
Older Australians deserve better.