Skip to main content RSS Info Close Search Facebook Twitter
Location
Category
Providers / Vacancies
Feedback

Shadow Minister accuses Government of aged care policy inaction

Margaret May, the Shadow Minister for Ageing, has accused the Rudd Government of inaction in the area of aged care policy.

She was speaking at the Aged Care Association Australia (ACAA) national congress in Hobart, which the Minister, Justine Elliot, did not attend.

“I believe the Minister for Ageing, Mrs Justine Elliot, by her words and by her actions, is not supporting the industry,” Mrs May said.

“The Minister is talking the industry down at every opportunity and this is causing significant damage.”

The opposition spokesperson described Mrs Elliot’s as a “policy vacuum” at a time when reform is “not negotiable.”

“The way things stand, I foreshadow an unravelling of the system and a snowballing of shutdowns,” Mrs May said.

“It’s not what you want to see and it’s not what I want to see.”

Noting that the industry is finding construction costs unmanageable, Mrs May called for bold reform, and said  she had the backing of Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, to develop alternative policy directions, committing to work in partnership with the industry.

 Mrs May acknowledged the difficulties aged care providers are facing in attracting and retaining new staff.

“The shortage of staff in aged care has reached a crisis point,” she said.

“There needs to be a concerted effort to ensure that aged care nurses receive adequate remuneration, training and resources.

“And the same applies to carers.”

She suggested that the worsening economic conditions and the ensuing rising unemployment rates could have a ‘silver lining’ for the sector.

 

Share this article

Read next

Subscribe

Subscribe to our Talking Aged Care newsletter to get our latest articles, delivered straight to your inbox
  1. Eighty years after getting married, this couple lives together...
  2. Who says your age should limit your dreams?
  3. Data from a recently released report highlights a concerning...
  4. With an ageing and growing population, data from the...
  5. Approximately 411,000 Australians are estimated to be living...
  6. How could you benefit from attending university as an older...

Recent articles

  1. The new initiative brings older Aussies together to see the...
  2. A collaboration between Dementia Australia and VistaPrint...
  3. How can you look after yourself during the expected heatwaves...
  4. How is an interactive app being used in aged care settings to...
  5. How could the upcoming strengthening of super standards save...
  6. Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett, a Western Australian volunteer,...
  7. Why is an illegal website targeting older Australians?
  8. Eighty years after getting married, this couple lives together...
  9. How does heart health impact your risk of dementia?
  10. Instead of going to the hospital, could older Australians...
  11. Recent data indicates changes in the current COVID-19...
  12. One aged care provider is launching a mini-series of free...
  1. {{ result.posted_at | timeago }}

Sorry, no results were found
Perhaps you misspelled your search query, or need to try using broader search terms.
Please type a topic to search
Some frequently searched topics are "dementia", "elderly" etc
Close