Solutions through evidence and dialogue
When the federal government decreed that Australians should “live with Covid”, the safety of older people living in aged care homes was once again not on the Coalition’s radar.
In yet another predictable disaster, Covid has spread like wildfire in aged care homes.
Refusing to publicly name aged care homes with Covid-19 outbreaks; secrecy around the number of deaths in specific aged care homes; information about standards of care and complaints about aged care homes considered “commercial-in-confidence”; voting against reforms that would spell out what the $13bn of taxpayers’ money given each year to aged care providers is actually spent on.
This government has a long history of being more concerned about the reputational damage of aged care providers – some of whom are multinational corporations – than looking after the interests of those living in residential aged care, most of whom are elderly and frail.
he only aspect of in-home care for older people that makes the news is the ridiculously long queue for home care packages. Flying under the radar is the chronic rorting, with corporate providers skimming off vast profits.
The Aged Care Royal Commissioners noted that a recipient of a Level 4 home care package worth $53,000 received on average just 8 hours and 45 minutes of support. Surely this was a big red flag.
Before jumping into another expensive royal commission, it would have been prudent for Scott Morrison to review the numerous inquiries that both LNP and ALP governments have initiated over the past decade. Surely the government didn’t need Four Corners to inform them that the aged care sector is a national disgrace.
HeraldSun 4 April 2022
I have spent six years trying to improve the aged care system on behalf of older people and families. This has been done as an unpaid advocate with no government funding.
The aged care system is broken. Numerous inquiries, including a royal commission, have revealed evidence of poor care, negligence, neglect, abuse and assault.
We know what needs to be done. The solution to the crisis starts with transparency and accountability.
I have become a stuck record in my calls for the federal government to demand transparency from the aged care providers in return for the billions of taxpayers’ dollars they get each year – some $125 billion over the next five years.
Take the latest example. The May 2021 budget gave providers an extra $10 a day per resident to improve the quality of the meals. Some $460 million has already been spent, with an estimated $700 million to be spent this financial year. And what do providers have to do in return? Simply give an undertaking that they will report to government on a quarterly basis what they spend on food.
The royal commissioners had warned that aged care providers have a long history of not spending extra government money on what they are supposed to. So why give them a further $700 million without directly tying this money to food?
Many residents have told me they are still being served unappetising food. It seems many providers have not used this extra money on what they were supposed to.
The Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt and Minister for Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck claim that “the Morrison Government has achieved significant reform across the five pillars of its five-year plan to deliver respect, care and dignity for every senior Australian”.
“We responded to the (Aged Care royal commissioners’) recommendations and are now implementing this once-in-a-generation reform that puts senior Australians first,” Minister Hunt said.
Seriously? There has been practically no progress on most of the recommendations one year after the royal commissioners released their final report.
Labor has proposed some measures to improve aged care in Australia. However so much more is needed to solve the crisis in aged care.
The failure of successive governments to respond meaningfully to the crisis in aged care has prompted me to put my hand up to replace the Aged Care Minister in his seat of Flinders. After years of advocating from the sidelines, it is clear aged care needs a strong advocate in parliament.
Dr Sarah Russell is the Voices endorsed Independent Candidate.
The federal government claims repeatedly that a consumer-driven, free market-based residential aged care system will provide world-class care. This is consistent with its neoliberal agenda. However, the so-called “consumers” are often frail, elderly people, many with dementia. How can they demand a high-quality service on the free market?
The irony of the move towards a free-market aged care system is that private companies continue to put out their hands for more government money – without any transparency about how they spend it. Do they spend the government subsidy on providing nursing care, meals and activities for residents or on salaries for their executive team and profits for shareholders?
The failure of the Coalition to tackle the aged crisis prompted me to put my hand up to be the Voices of Mornington Peninsula endorsed Independent Candidate and replace the Aged Care Minister in his seat of Flinders.
My long fight in aged care has revolved around accountability and transparency for the billions of dollars of taxpayer money handed out to providers. This theme is apparent in all aspects of government spending – sports rorts, car park rorts. This government uses our money on projects it thinks will get it re-elected, not on what is best for all of us.
Trust and confidence in government are at historic lows. Party politics, political donations and ego driven politicians have destroyed our trust in public institutions.
My focus on accountability and transparency is the key to restoring trust in government.
Policies should not be determined by vested interests – such as fossil fuel companies, aged care providers – and those who donate millions to political parties. We need politicians and public servants to act in the best interests of all Australians.
The first thing I can offer is to restore trust in your federal MP. You can trust that I will listen – and that I will do what I say I will do.
Here’s 2 videos – a short introduction video and a longer video.
Former Prime Minister John Howard has been called out for his appalling and sexist language in describing the “teal” Independents as “groupies”. Surely Howard knew the negative connotations of the word “groupie” – commonly used to describe young women who follow around rock groups and celebrities to offer them sex.