Aged Care
Morrison Govt Aged Care response falls short of Royal Commission recommendations
The Federal Government’s response to the Aged Care Royal Commission has failed to live up to expectations of real reform in the sector.
The Morrison government promised to deliver a response to the Commission’s recommendations that would “make a fundamental and material difference to the sector”. However, their response provided on the eve of International Nurses’ Day has failed to meet the standards set by Royal Commissioners Gaetano Pagone and Lynelle Briggs.
The Government’s response differs from the commissioners’ recommendations in the following ways.
Further, the Federal Government has not released details on how they will ensure that their $17.7 billion commitment will be used to improve the quality of service provision in the sector, rather than being siphoned off to providers’ back pockets.
Aged care nurse Jocelyn Hofman has derided the Government’s response as “disappointing”.
“The devil is in detail and this budget falls well short of what residents, communities and aged care workers need to fix the sector,” Ms Hofman said.
She hopes that nurses and members of the Australian community will continue to lobby Federal Government to deliver upon the Royal Commission’s recommendations.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is seeking your thoughts on the Federal Government’s response to the Aged Care Royal Commission. You can have your say here.
claudea donlan says
I am disgusted and horrified that the taxpayer, for years , forks out so much money via government decisions (lots of waste) yet ignores Aged Care, Paramedics and Disability but decides to privatize them.
Aged Care, Disability and Paramedics have been forgotten,(again) but worse are the people we all care for every day, they will receive inadequate, mostly untrained staff, casually or part time employed, no payrise and for some will be paid less. Seems there will be less skilled, professional persons such as RNs in charge. Standards will dramatically fall and risks to safety increase for staff and residents/patients.
I’m not suprised that France has withrawn their Foreign Minister in disgust, “Stabbed in the back” by Australia (S MorrisonPM)!! Nurses feel like that often by all governments in past 10-15yrs especially.
Guess The Royal Commission was a failure, (too weak) unable to be firm with government to commit and sign, to ensure improvements to the Nursing sector, especially payrises and conditions occur immediately. The evidence was obvious, too much money spent (taxpayers $), on The Commission but where has any money gone to support the sector it is supposed to help? Does anyone know?Let me suggest the $ has gone toward over $90 billion for submarines, also payment to France for not honouring contract.
Oh, but of course it’s in the National Interest!! Well so is funding to Aged Care, Disability, Paramedics and wider communities, to provide services, staff, salaries ensuring needs are appropriately met and standards upheld. Privatization is the worst scenario for employees.
I am more than dissappointed.