Greens Lead Aged Care Inquiry, Urge Labor To Act
The Senate has established an inquiry into Labor’s transition to a new aged care system. The Greens spokesperson for Older People, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, will chair the inquiry.
Labor’s Aged Care Act reforms, which were due to commence on 1 July of this year, have been pushed back to 1 November.
As Chair of the inquiry, Senator Allman-Payne will focus on ensuring advocates and community members are given the opportunity to raise their concerns about the lack of timely access to Home Care Packages, as well as the rising costs and inequality coming to the aged care system from 1 November when the remaining changes come into effect.
Under Labor’s upcoming changes, pensioners and older renters will pay more than ever before, and many more will miss out on vital care entirely.
As Uniting NSW & ACT has warned, aged care residents who can afford an upfront deposit (usually from selling their family home) may be worth twice as much in revenue to an aged care facility as an older person who is living week to week.
That difference in value, combined with a shortage of available residential beds and a rationing of home care packages, has led to fears of a two-tiered aged care system, leaving thousands of pensioners and older renters without the care and support they deserve.
Labor’s new Aged Care Act raised the cap on aged care deposits (known as Refundable Accommodation Deposits) from $550,000 to $750,000. Due to exemptions in the system, aged care deposits already commonly exceed a million dollars in capital cities.
Even if a pensioner manages to get a place in the residential aged care system, the Government’s own analysis shows that costs will go up for 30% of full pensioners and 75% of part-pensioners from November.
Lines from Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Greens spokesperson for Older People:
“You shouldn’t have to be a millionaire just to guarantee care in your old age, but that’s exactly what’s at risk from Labor’s new aged care system.”
“Right now, over 87,000 people are stuck on the waitlist for a home care package.”
“Without access to care at home, an older person’s only option becomes the residential aged care system, where cash is king and beds are rationed in favour of those who can afford massive upfront deposits.”
“Far from fixing the residential aged care system, Labor’s changes coming this November mean wealthier homeowners may soon be worth twice as much in revenue to an aged care facility as an older person who lives week to week.”
“These changes, combined with the massive shortage of home care packages, are a perfect storm meaning pensioners and older renters will miss out, and be cruelly left to age and die without the care they need.”
“The Greens will continue to shine a light into this dodgy system, and we call on Labor to intervene urgently before 1 November to put the care of older people first.
https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/greens-chair-aged-care-inquiry-call-labor-act-prevent-perfect-storm-pain