Aged Care

Where to start in listing the deceitful behaviour of the Coalition government regarding aged care? Is it that the government continues to throw large amounts of taxpayers’ money at aged-care providers but refuses to tackle the systemic changes that are needed? That Greg Hunt, the Minister for Aged Care, gave…

The only aspect of in-home care for older people that makes the news is the ridiculously long queue for home care packages. Flying under the radar is the chronic rorting, with corporate providers skimming off vast profits. The Aged Care Royal Commissioners noted that a recipient of a Level 4…

Mandating all aged care staff are vaccinated shifts the blame from the federal government's failure to vaccinate staff to individual aged care workers. With high levels of vaccine hesitancy and low levels of supply of Pfizer, some staff will prefer to stop working in the age care sector rather than…

While the federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck was asleep at the wheel, 685 older Australians living in aged care homes died of Covid. If 685 deaths don’t warrant a ministerial resignation, what will? Minister Colbeck continues to put lives at risk by allowing staff to work at multiple aged…

With Richard Colbeck as the federal aged care minister, 685 Australians in aged care homes died from Covid. Is he asleep at the wheel? Colbeck’s lack of leadership since Covid emerged is now putting even more lives at risk by allowing staff to work at multiple aged care homes without residents…

The federal government is reportedly planning to spend a further $10 billion over four years in the budget on aged care, with a focus on home care packages. This is on top of the $21 billion already spent each year. The highest level of home care help for older Australians is $52,000. And…

The federal government announced its $17.7 billion aged care budget with bells and whistles. Peak bodies for providers described it as a “big win for older people”. However, it is aged care providers, not older people, who have won. The home care sector has been given an extra $6.5 billion over four…

The aged care sector needs more money. However, the government should not give more money to age care providers without financial transparency. Currently the public has no way of knowing how providers spend $21 billion of government subsidies. Do they spend the subsidies on providing nursing care, meals and activities…