$152 million boost for aged care

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27 June 2005
JB087/05

Aged care homes across Australia will receive an extra $1,000 per resident in a one-off payment to target specific issues that will help ensure they remain sustainable in the long term, the Federal Minister for Ageing, Julie Bishop, announced today.

“Australia’s ageing population will create many opportunities and challenges for our nation, not least for the aged care providers who receive substantial taxpayer subsidies to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community,” Ms Bishop said.

“The Australian Government will provide $152 million in total for the one-off payment, which will help aged care providers take advantage of new technology, improve their business practices and efficiency, and increase staff training, particularly in dementia care.

“The use of information technology has the potential to both improve clinical care for older Australians, and reduce paperwork for aged care staff, enabling them to spend less time on administration and more time on care.

“This funding will also enable aged care providers to improve their efficiency in management and administration. The Hogan Review identified the need for aged care providers to adopt more sophisticated and contemporary business practices to ensure the sector was on a sustainable footing for the future.

“Australia’s ageing population will increase the prevalence of dementia in our community. As the care needs of older Australians become more complex, they require different levels of support, which increases demands on aged care workers. Aged care providers will be able to use the one-off payment to ensure their staff can access additional and specialised training in providing care for residents with dementia.”

The new funding comes on top of the more than $2.7 billion in new funding the Australian Government has provided for aged care in the last two Federal Budgets. This funding is enabling aged care homes to provide better quality care, build better aged care homes, and streamline administration and paperwork. In addition, the funding has delivered record numbers of new aged care places, increased training and education opportunities for staff, and more respite and financial support for carers.

Through these initiatives 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, the Labor Party still has no vision, ideas or policy to help our nation meet the challenges of population ageing.

Media contact: Rachael Thompson 0417 265 289