SALLY SARA, HOST: An extra 20,000 Home Care Packages will be rolled out immediately after the Federal Government bowed to political pressure in Parliament yesterday. The changes were brought about after the Coalition, the Greens and a number of independents joined forces in the Senate. Sam Rae is the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors and joins me now. Minister, welcome to Breakfast.
SAM RAE, MINISTER FOR AGED CARE AND SENIORS: Good morning, Sally. Thank you for having me.
SARA: Why did it all come to this? Why wasn't the Government getting ready to roll out these packages anyway? Why did it have to come to a head in Parliament to get that sense of urgency?
RAE: Well firstly, the Government continues to roll out packages and always has, Sally. At the moment, we've been putting out an average of more than 2000 packages a week and making sure always that anyone assessed as high priority gets a Home Care Package within a [month]. But as it pertains to the reforms more broadly, these are once-in-a-generation reforms to the Australian aged care system, and we’ve taken …
SARA: But hang on, this is a separate issue. We know that reforms are coming, but this is about increasing the number of packages under the existing system. The sector was saying it was ready to do that. Clearly, people on waiting lists wanted them. Why did the Government have to be put into this position in Parliament? Why didn't you get it done?
RAE: Well, perhaps you'll let me explain. So, the current system, which is called the Home Care Packages system, hasn’t been providing for the community in the way that we mean for it to do so. So part of the reforms that will come into effect from 1 November is to wind that system up – remembering that that's only less than two months away now – wind that system up, and we will transition the more than 300,000 people who are currently receiving Home Care Packages to our new Support at Home program, which is a much more sophisticated model of care delivery to help older people to stay in their homes for longer.
Now, we've always, through this reform process, taken a principled approach to pursuing bipartisanship wherever we can. And that's because bipartisanship is how we ensure that these reforms are enduring and that they are meaningful for the people that receive this care on the ground. We've spent the last number of weeks working across the Parliament, but particularly negotiating with the Opposition to try and reach a bipartisan position on how we transition to the new act ahead of 1 November, and that's what we've now done.
SARA: Why has it taken so long, though? Again, I know you're transitioning to a new system, but between now and then, there's been a desperate need for these packages. The sector has said it can roll them out ahead of those changes. Why didn't the Government green light that? Why did this come to a head in Parliament?
RAE: Well, you're absolutely right about the need, Sally. We have seen extraordinary growth in demand for in-home care. In 2020, we had just about 155,000 people receiving in-home care. Today, that number is above 300,000. We've also seen, in terms of government investment in this space, we've seen it rise by about 800 per cent over the last decade. So growth in demand for in-home care is extraordinarily high and we've got an ageing population, and the community's expectations around care is evolving at the same time. It's why we announced the reforms to the aged care sector in the second half of last year, we included the very substantial transition to the new Support at Home program and the additional 83,000 packages, which we announced way back then, an additional 83,000 packages in order to try and help meet that demand. What we've done this week is struck bipartisan agreement about how those 83,000 packages are rolled out.
SARA: Respectfully, Minister, it's not the Government which has struck this agreement. You were forced, particularly in the Senate. And what I'm asking is not a picture of the demand. We understand that. In terms of dealing with this short-term issue, why did this have to come to a head in Parliament? Why didn't you as Minister give the green light to get these packages out urgently?
RAE: Well, respectfully, Sally, I disagree. These decisions are decisions of government, and so the Senate certainly had a position which they could. And as I said over the last weeks, we've been engaging in ongoing discussions because bipartisanship is the most important way that we can ensure that these reforms are enduring and meaningful. We’ve struck a bipartisan …
SARA: But you didn't need parliamentary approval to roll out extra packages.
RAE: You're right. We don't need parliamentary approval. It is already the policy of the Government.
SARA: So why the hold up?
RAE: It is already the policy of the Government. We have announced and funded last year these additional 83,000 packages. This agreement is about -
SARA: Minister, I'll bring you back to the question again. This is about rolling out these packages ahead of the reforms. As you've agreed, you didn't need parliamentary approval to do that. What I'm asking, and a lot of people in the sector and families who are waiting for this are asking, why hadn't this happened sooner? Why did it have to come to [a] head in Parliament rather than the Government doing what it needed to do?
RAE: Well, I’m answering that question. I think there are two key points here. We needed to reach a bipartisan agreement about how this was going to be done. That was a key principle that we have pursued all the way through. As of yesterday, we have reached a bipartisan agreement about how that rollout occurs. The other part is that we've had evolving advice from the sector about their ability to actually respond to these increased packages that we're going to put into the system. And I was very clear yesterday when I stood up with Minister Butler, we still have some concerns about the workforce dynamics. It is very challenging to find enough highly skilled, highly trained workers that can provide this care. But the sector are adamant that they think they can rise to that demand, and we'll be working closely with them over the coming days and weeks to make sure that this care gets to people on the ground.
SARA: So, the sector- many organisations representing the sector have said publicly that they're good to go to get these packages out ahead of the reforms. But you still had some concerns about whether that was actually the case – am I understanding that correctly?
RAE: There's been some very mixed messages. And if people have a look at the public commentary that's occurred since the announcement of the deferral some months ago, we've had some mixed messages from the sector. But we'll be working really closely with the sector. The sector have made it clear, particularly over the last week, that they think they can rise to this challenge. So, we'll be working really closely to make sure that this care gets to as many people on the ground as possible.
SARA: How many packages has the Government released in this financial year so far? The Opposition says it's zero. Is that correct?
RAE: There's some semantics at play here, Sally. So in terms of the package release, the ongoing Home Care Package release that we've been engaged in, we've been releasing since September an average of about 2700 Home Care Packages a week, and they've been allocated on the basis of the National Priority System, which is the system -
SARA: Are they new packages or vacant packages?
RAE: Well, some of them have been new packages and then some of them have been ones that have come about because people have been moving into residential aged care, or as we've discussed in the Parliament, sadly, some people have passed away that have been receiving care as well. So, there's a mix of packages, but on average we've been rolling out 2700 packages a week. And I stress again, every single person who is assessed as high priority receives their package within a month.
SARA: How do you feel about your position in the Ministry, knowing that people with far more experience than you have been demoted to make way for factional priorities?
RAE: I'm very, very proud to get to serve in the Albanese Labor Ministry. This is a fantastic Government. It's one that I'm very proud to be a part of. We are very fortunate in that we have a huge rank of swelling talent, and I'm really pleased to get to serve in the position that I do get to serve. It's a great honour.
SARA: Sam Rae, we'll need to leave it there. Thank you very much for your time this morning.
RAE: Thanks, Sally.