The Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) is disappointed bipartisan support has not yet been achieved for the introduction of a new Aged Care Act, calling on all parties to urgently find a way forward when parliament resumes in September.
The Government and the Coalition have been negotiating for months, but despite reports earlier this week that the deal was done, have now reached an impasse leaving little time to pass the proposed legislation before this term ends.
“If the new Act isn’t introduced immediately after parliament resumes in a fortnight, the chances of it passing before the next election are near zero,” ACCPA CEO Tom Symondson said.
“Months of political negotiations, consultations with everyday Australians, consumer groups, economists, unions, providers and experts will have come to naught if the Government and the Coalition fail to find a way forward. This is beyond urgent.”
“By all reports, the Government and the Opposition have reached agreement, yet we have not seen the new Act introduced. Whatever the hold up, this historic opportunity will be lost and older Australians will be left in limbo – unless we act quickly. This kind of reform has been attempted many times before, and every time, it has failed because of a lack of bipartisanship – we cannot let this be a repeat of the past.”
“Improving the lives of older Australians is the number one priority for aged care providers. A new, rights-based Act was the most fundamental recommendation of the Royal Commission and was universally welcomed. Without it, there is no more serious reform for our sector.”
Mr Symondson was a member of the Government’s Aged Care Taskforce charged with finding a solution to aged care’s funding crisis which has been worsening for over a decade.
The Taskforce handed down its findings to the Government in December last year after six months of negotiation and consultation with all of the key stakeholders in aged care: providers, unions, consumer advocates, consumers and the community. The recommendations, which were published in March received widespread support.
Since then, negotiations have been underway to find bipartisan support for the Taskforce findings, enshrined in a new Act. But with Parliament now heading into recess, time has all but run out.
“We have high hopes that these reforms will not only save our sector from financial collapse, but allow it to grow in response to the massive demand we will see as the population ages over the next two decades. Along with the other crucial parts of the legislation such as the rights framework, the new Act would set us up to deliver on the promise of the Royal Commission. But none of that can happen if the legislation isn’t even introduced.”
Australia’s population is ageing, with demand for aged care set to spiral in coming decades. At the same time Australians are demanding and deserve higher levels of care.
Currently more than half of residential aged care providers are losing money, and home and community care continues to trend down, with growing waiting lists for services.
“We will need hundreds of thousands of additional beds in the coming decades to meet demand from Australia’s ageing population. We should be building thousands each year not the few hundred we are currently managing due to a lack of financial viability.”
“Australia’s aged care system can and should be the envy of the world, but we need help to achieve that. All Australians are relying on us to succeed.”
“Our message to our elected politicians is simple. The time for politics is well and truly over. This is too important. Quite simply, it’s now or never.”
Media contact: Peter O’Dempsey 0499 106 957 or .
