The Opposition has brought aged care front and centre in the upcoming Federal election campaign, with leader Anthony Albanese (pictured) laying out a five-point plan for the sector if elected.
In his Budget Reply speech last week, Mr Albanese lashed the Morrison Government, accusing it of a decade of failure in the sector and promising Labor would “put the care back into aged care”.
“The global pandemic and a Royal Commission have confirmed what so many Australians already knew – our aged care system is in crisis.
“More of us are living long enough to need extra care in our later years. But currently that thought fills a generation of Australians and their families with dread,” he said.
The Opposition Leader set out five promises for the aged care sector:
- Mandating 24/7 registered nurses at every aged care facility;
- Mandating 215 minutes of care per resident, per day;
- Backing a pay rise for workers at the Fair Work Commission, and fully funding the outcome;
- Developing and implementing mandatory nutrition standards for aged care homes; and
- Increasing integrity and accountability for the sector, including new powers for the Aged Care Safety Commissioner.
The 24/7 nursing commitment brings forward a similar promise from the Government by a year to July 2023, though Mr Albanese has said providers who could not find enough staff would be afforded “flexibility”, with Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus also telling the ABC that the commitment could be “paused” if a Labor Government could not grow the workforce enough in time.
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