What will the Budget reveal?

Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, confirmed the federal government’s commitment to aged care reform late last week, in the lead up to the Budget 2012.

Speaking on ABC Radio, Mr Butler (pictured) acknowledged it would be “important to ultimately” see the Opposition’s view regarding the federal government’s response to the Productivity Commission report, announced about two weeks ago.

Despite the government’s commitment to aged care reform, Mr Butler explained the delivery and funding of the proposed reforms would be outlined in the budget tonight (Tuesday, 8 May 2012).

Joining Mr Butler was the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Health Sciences’ Professor Hal Kendig, who acknowledged aged care reform had a “long way ahead”.

“There’s a lot of change to be effected. I would say I agree with what the minister has said and add that one of the reasons why he is in such a strong position now has been the extensive consultation that he himself has led with the Council on the Ageing and the underlying good work by the Productivity Commission in outlining the policy? feasible directions ahead,” he said.

After speaking about some legislative change regarding the introduction of the Aged Care Act, Mr Butler confirmed “aged care reform is so important”.

He explained the importance of the first five years of the 10-year aged care reform plan.

“So, it needs to be designed in a way that is going to sustain or be able to be achieved through the electoral cycle and survive a change of government if that happens at some stage in the next decade.

“That is why it is so critical to see the Opposition’s view pretty soon on this.

According to Mr Butler, the first priority was to put “our aged care system on a sustainable basis for the longterm”.

“Secondly, aged care reform always needs broad support in the community. It just won’t happen otherwise. And we heard a very clear message particularly from consumers that they did not want a change to the way in which the family home was means tested.”

However, Mr Butler identified the greatest challenge in maintaining the “equity of delivery, equity of access to services for regional Australia, for places like Western Australia where the competition for workforce is just intense already and will continue for some years”.

 “And that again is why workforce is such a critical element of this package.”

Watch the Budget 2012: The Treasurer’s Speech from 7.30pm tonight (Tuesday, 8 May 2012) on ABC1.