Elder lawyer and aged care advocate Catherine Henry says the federal government needs to undertake structural reform of the aged care sector not just pour money into a broken sector.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Tuesday's federal budget included $17.7 billion for aged care.
The funding aims to clear the home care waiting list within two years, mandate minimum care time in residential aged care homes, and boost the aged care workforce.
The government has also accepted all but six of the 148 recommendations of the royal commission into aged care quality and safety either in full or in principle.
Ms Henry said while the funding was welcome, the devil would be in the detail regarding where the money would be spent and the timing of the expenditure.
"The aged care sector requires massive funding given this and previous governments have underfunded aged care. Funding is urgently required to address the many Australians waiting for home care packages," she said.
Ms Henry has called for a new Aged Care Act.
"The current one was written by providers for providers," she said.
"We need better regulation of the sector and more publicly available data on the performance of aged care providers. And if they are not performing there must be real and effective sanctions.
"The Government has been largely silent on the Royal Commission report since it sneakily released it and called a snap media conference before journalists and the public could see the report."
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
