Page 1151 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 May 2006
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have to address not only now but also well and truly into the future. Given the level of ageing that the ACT is going to experience in the next 20 years, this problem will only be exacerbated. I think there are issues there in terms of education and training and simply raising the profile of aged care facilities, whether they be public or private.
We have to make sure that people understand that they are not just looking after oldies, that it is not just some sort of sedentary occupation. I am sure that you have often been to nursing homes, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is important that we understand that the people there are in the main active, vibrant people. We have a role to keep them in that way and the best way to do that is to make sure that the staff are trained.
The Australian government has substantially increased funding for residential aged care since coming to office. Australian government expenditure on residential aged care subsidies has grown from $2.5 billion in 1995-96 to a budgeted $5.5 billion for this financial year. That is an increase of 120 per cent, so I am not sure how people can point a finger at the federal government and say that they are not doing their bit. I think we all understand that there are still things to be done, but it can be seen from that that there has been a $3 billion increase over 10 years. Of course, in the context of much that has been discussed in this place over yesterday and today, you can only do that if you get the economics and the budget right. If you have your budget in surplus, you can increase such services.
I suspect that the federal government will say that it does not set wages for staff in the aged care sector. That is primarily a matter of negotiation between employers and employees in their workplace arrangements. One of the principal objects of the Workplace Relations Act is to ensure that the primary responsibility for determining matters affecting the employment relationship rests with the employer and the employees at a workplace. Perhaps we need to be talking with the employers as well to make sure that they understand their responsibilities. Of course, that is easy to say when they are having difficulty raising funds, and that is the issue that we really need to address.
The Australian government have a responsibility to ensure that aged care providers are funded at a level that enables them to deliver the quality of care required under the Aged Care Act 1997. As I have said, that is the reason that they have actually increased their funding by some $3 billion over the last 10 years. If it is not enough, let us go to the evidence and the detail and go back to the government and say that there is potentially more that needs to be done. I am sure that they understand that, but let us make the case and do that as well.
Before we go haring off and writing letters to the federal government asking for injections of funding, I think that it behoves members of the ACT government, of whom Ms Porter is one, to put to their government ideas as to how to fix the aged care crisis. I wonder whether Ms Porter has made suggestions about improving our approvals procedures, dropping the change-of-use charge, reducing charges and negotiating on the value of land that is given to the not-for-profit sector in particular.
The Australian government have worked particularly hard at the federal level through supporting the aged care work force strategy. There is a strategy in place. They have appreciated that the time has come to do more. They have increased funding so that aged care providers can pay higher wages and continue to provide high-quality care. So get
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