Ageing Australia calls for "staged approach" to reforms

Following Labor’s federal win and the announcement that Mark Butler has been reappointed to the cabinet health portfolio, as Minister for Health and Ageing — with responsibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme — and that Sam Rae is Minister for Aged Care in the outer ministry, Ageing Australia is calling for a “staged approach” to the new Aged Care Act.

“We congratulate Mark Butler on his re-appointment and look forward to continuing our relationship in the future. We also congratulate new Minister Sam Rae on his elevation to the Aged Care portfolio,” Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said. Former Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells has a new portfolio of Communications and Sport, it was also announced by the government.

“We also wish Anika Wells the best of luck with her new responsibilities,” Symondson said. “We worked closely with Anika and the opposition to garner rare bipartisan support for the new Aged Care Act in the previous term of parliament. We know she truly cares for older Australians and thank her for her support.”

With the 1 July introduction of the new Aged Care Act, Ageing Australia said Ministers Butler and Rae are charged with overseeing a sector facing unprecedented change. “We’re running out of runway for the July 1 deadline, yet aged care providers still don’t have all the necessary information to prepare for these significant reforms,” Symondson said.

“We wholeheartedly support the new Act and the charter of rights for older people, but it’s becoming clearer by the day that we won’t be ready to implement every program due to the sheer scale of change,” Symondson added. “Everyone wants these reforms to succeed and that means a staged approach to implementation will be vital.”

Ageing Australia said that aged care providers face significant challenges dealing with a workforce crisis and major sustainability issues, which are on top of wholesale reforms. “Failure is not an option,” Symondson said. “If we don’t get this right we risk widespread confusion for older Australians and a loss of confidence in the sector as a whole. We know everything won’t be ready, so we need to work with the government and the opposition on a plan B.”

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