Catholic Health Australia, the peak body representing 350 Catholic Not For Profit aged care facilities, said there "is no excuse for delay" in the reform of aged care by adoption of the Aged Care Taskforce recommendations.
“It’s been six months since the Aged Care Taskforce delivered its recommendations and the government has not even responded to them,” said CHA Director of Aged Care Policy, Laura Haylen, who was in Canberra for the Federal Budget tonight.
“The decision to neglect the Aged Care Taskforce recommendations in this budget is incredibly disappointing and frustrating.
"With most facilities operating at a loss and many at risk of closure, we are running out of time to secure quality and sustainable aged care for our loved ones.
“Every day adds more to the cost of fixing the system, and leaves more older Australians languishing in our hospitals for lack of quality care options in their community."
Tom Symondson, CEO of the Aged & Community Care Providers Association, the sector's peak said it was a "mixed Budget".
"Unfortunately no response about the Taskforce is a big problem for us," he said from Canberra.
"We were not expecting detail but we were expecting something."
Funding to ensure a stable and viable aged care sector is the number one challenge facing aged care in Australia, he stated.
“We need to see this critical reform, which is fully supported by the sector, introduced as soon as possible, to give providers and older people confidence. We need to see the Government’s response," he said.
“The majority of providers continue to struggle to keep their doors open and the sector has lost billions of dollars over the past five years, hampering investment while demand for services is growing. It can’t go on.”
Bolton Clarke Group CEO Stephen Muggleton, who is charge of the largest Not For Profit aged care operator in Australia, wants the Government to give a speedy response to the Taskforce recommendations, adding failure to adopt them would lead to "widespread bed shortages by 2025/26".
“Australia’s 85+ population will grow at an unpreceded rate through to the early 2030s, with bed closures increasing and investment in new beds falling,” Stephen said. “There are already issues in some locations."
The Retirement Living Council's Executive Director Daniel Gannon said “If this is a pro-housing budget for all Australians, I’d hate to see one that isn’t.”
“The number of people aged over 75 around the country will increase by 70% by 2040, which should lead to governments prioritising what is required to house this ‘silver tsunami’," he said.
“Instead, it’s radio silence on why purpose-built seniors’ housing still hasn’t been included in the Prime Minister’s 1.2 million new homes target and what the government’s response is to the Aged Care Taskforce recommendations.
“Given the government is the judge, jury and executioner of this Taskforce and having already had five months to consider their own findings, noncommunication signals one of two things: it’s either bad news for consumers or it’s bad news for operators. But until we hear from the government, both parties remain in the dark."
