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Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt and PM Scott Morrison at the press conference at Kirribilli House . Photo : Jenny Evans / Getty images
The PM and aged care minister react to the royal commission final report .
By Dallas Bastian
Prime Minister Scott Morrison called
the aged care royal commission ’ s final report “ candid ” and “ ambitious ” but the government has so far “ made no decisions ” on its findings .
Commissioners Lynelle Briggs and Tony Pagone have set out a roadmap for government to fix the problems highlighted in their two-year investigation into Australia ’ s aged care sector , though they ’ ve advocated for different directions on a number of issues .
At a press conference , Morrison said his government was committed to responding to the recommendations in the report .
He said : “ What [ the commissioners have ] said is the basic paradigm needs to change . And I agree . We need to make generational change …”
“ The fact that Australians feel that they are waiting out their life … it ’ s impossible to put into words how you respond to that .”
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck said : “[ There ’ s been ] a lot of cans being kicked down the road in aged care for 20 years by successive governments . “ Now is the opportunity to remedy that .” The Prime Minister said the government would respond to the report “ throughout the Budget process ”.
He promised that there would be a considerable shift in the sector from a “ constrained system that focuses on
“
The basic paradigm needs to change . We need to make generational change .
funding for providers to a needs-based system that puts the person at the centre ”.
“ No government has done that in the last 30 years ,” he said . “ As a result , it requires some very significant change .”
When asked by reporters how much money would be required for the “ once in a generation ” change , Morrison said as yet “ no one knows ”.
“ The answer is no one knows . The Royal commission doesn ’ t know yet .”
Nonetheless , he promised a “ comprehensive response ” in the course of the Budget .
In the meantime , he asked Minister for Aged Care Greg Hunt to detail the government ’ s initial response to the final report .
After stressing that the measures set out in the press conference were part of an “ initial ” response , Hunt detailed a five-pillar plan .
HOME CARE Hunt said the government would act on transparency of fees and commence an audit program of over 500 facilities per year . There will also be a new quality control system within home care .
QUALITY AND SAFETY There will be 1500 extra audits of facilities per year under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner . There will also be extra regulation to ensure further protection against physical and chemical restraint . To that end , government will appoint a new senior restraint leader within the commission .
SERVICES AND SUSTAINABILITY Hunt said the government will extend the viability supplement “ with 30 per cent uplift ” to 30 June as an interim measure while it prepared its full response and promised a long term solution in the Budget . There will also be a targeted fund for providers facing stress .
WORKFORCE The government will make available 18,000 places for training of new home care and residential care workers .
GOVERNANCE It will also begin a governance training and funding program for 3,700 senior leaders at the executive level and across boards .
And , as recommended in the report , there will be a new Aged Care Act .
“ That will be a significant process but it ’ s based on a simple concept of respect for the individual ,” Hunt said
“ Instead of being about providers , instead of it being about money , it ’ s about respect for the individual needs .”
He said the government will respond in full by 31 May . ■
2 agedcareinsite . com . au