OPINION
MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR AGENDA FOR CHANGE MORRISON GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO AGED CARE REFORM
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year since the tabling of the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Morrison Government has taken significant steps in the reform of the sector.
The framework and platform for change has been set. The plan is in place and the sector can now expect to see tangible action from the largest reform package of its kind in history. As we have said from the start, our five-year plan will provide a generational shift in the way care is delivered—an emphasis on catering to the individual needs of residents and ensuring support for those who offer care.
Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services
The Government has already made significant progress under the five pillars of reform, including a 32 per cent increase in the number of direct care workers in residential care, improved nutrition through the Basic Daily Fee supplement, expansion of the National Aged Care Advocacy Program and improved access to quality aged care services in rural and remote areas. We have also addressed serious concerns around the use of chemical and physical restrictive practices in our age care homes.
Change of this magnitude needs diverse input and collaboration across the sector and the community—and so we express our gratitude to those who have contributed so far. The establishment of the National Aged Care Advisory Group and the Council of Elders is another important mechanism to ensure the reforms hit the mark. The needs of senior Australians, their families and carers remain at the heart of this rebuild and these two groups will ensure the implementation of reform strikes the correct balance. Our financial commitment is now more than $18.3 billion to fund this agenda for change across home care, residential care, quality and safety, workforce and governance.
Minister Colbeck speaking with residents at a retirement and aged care home in Sydney during a recent visit. Continued on page 12
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