A week on from the Federal Budget, the Minister for Aged Care has appeared quite relaxed as she visits constituents, which is a positive sign that an answer to the biggest question on the lips of aged care providers is on its way.

Her Instagram account this week shows the Minister playing flag football with school students, meeting nursing students in her home state of Queensland, and visiting regional aged care homes and making a radio appearance to announce $135 million in capital grants for rural and remote aged care homes – all the while looking happy and at ease.

In last week’s post-Budget webinar with the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Minister had assured viewers that the Aged Care Taskforce’s recommendations remains a top priority for the Government and the Department with its staff burning the midnight oil to reveal the Government’s response.

“I think you won’t be surprised to hear that we continue to work on that day and night. We are settling the government’s detailed response to the recommendations of the Aged Care Taskforce,” the Minister stated.

“We are doing that in consultation with key stakeholders, with the people of the Parliament, and we will release a full response to that in the near future.”

As we also report in this issue, the Shadow Minister for Aged Care, Anne Ruston, neglected to mention aged care in her post-Budget press statement – suggesting that the Opposition is also waiting on its negotiations with the Government to release a comment on the Taskforce recommendations.

Reading the tea leaves, this lack of acknowledgement of the Taskforce’s findings – and a smiling Minister – suggests that a resolution to its recommendations cannot be far off.

Watch this space then.