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23 June 2005
JB082/05

Today’s release of the report of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into Aged Care demonstrates how the Australian Government has made aged care a priority, and Labor is still a policy-free zone.

Since coming to office the Australian Government has more than doubled funding for aged care, from around $3 billion in 1995-96 to more than $7.3 billion in 2005-06, a 135 per cent increase.

Between coming to office in 1996, and 2007-08, the Australian Government will have allocated more than 95,200 new residential aged care places and community care packages. In contrast, the Auditor General found the former Labor Government left a 10,000 aged care place shortage when it left office in 1996.

The Australian Government has recognised the desire of growing numbers of older Australians to remain living at home and in their community as they age, and has responded by tripling the Australian Government’s investment into community care, from around $500 million in 1995-96 to more than $1.6 billion in 2005-06.

The Australian Government has provided more than $2.7 billion in new aged care funding over the past two Budgets, including the record $2.2 billion response to the Hogan Review, delivered in the 2004 Federal Budget. This response included significant extra funding for new aged care places, increased quality of care, new building and upgrading of aged care homes, increased workforce education and training, and to reduce paperwork and streamline administration in aged care homes.

Over the next four years the Australian Government will invest around $30 billion into aged care.

This investment builds on our ongoing reforms to aged care, beginning with the introduction of the Aged Care Act 1997, which:

• introduced the first nationally legislated quality of care standards in Australia through accreditation, and independent monitoring through the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency;
• established stringent new building standards through certification; and
• enhanced the Complaints Resolution Scheme, headed by an independent Commissioner for Complaints.

The Council of Australian Governments recently announced it would consider ways to improve Australia’s health system, including better access to care for younger people with disabilities. The Australian Government has already sought to assist the States and Territories with their responsibilities to provide supported accommodation through the Aged Care Innovative Pool.

As the Australian Government has already either addressed, or is implementing many of the recommendations outlined in the Senate inquiry report, it serves to highlight how the Australian Government is realising its vision for a world class system of aged care that provides high quality, affordable and accessible services to meet the individual needs and choices of older Australians.

In contrast, Labor still has no policy, no ideas and no vision for aged care.

Media contact: Rachael Thompson 0417 265 289