Ageing Australia congratulates the ministers responsible for aged care on their appointment, calling on the new Albanese front bench to take a staged approach to the new Aged Care Act as a priority.
The Prime Minister has reappointed Mark Butler as the Minister for Health and Ageing, whilst adding responsibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to his portfolios. Victorian MP Sam Rae replaces Anika Wells as Minister for Aged Care. Ms Wells moves to the new portfolio of Communications and Sport.
“We congratulate Mark Butler on his re-appointment and look forward to continuing our relationship in the future. We also congratulate new Minister Sam Rae on his elevation to the Aged Care portfolio,” Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson.
“We also wish Anika Wells the best of luck with her new responsibilities. We worked closely with Anika and the opposition to garner rare bipartisan support for the new Aged Care Act in the previous term of parliament. We know she truly cares for older Australians and thank her for her support.”
Ministers Butler and Rae are charged with overseeing a sector facing unprecedented change with the introduction of the new Aged Care act on July one.
“We’re running out of runway for the July 1 deadline, yet aged care providers still don’t have all the necessary information to prepare for these significant reforms.”
“We wholeheartedly support the new Act and the charter of rights for older people, but it’s becoming clearer by the day that we won’t be ready to implement every program due to the sheer scale of change.”
“Everyone wants these reforms to succeed and that means a staged approach to implementation will be vital.”
“Failure is not an option. If we don’t get this right we risk widespread confusion for older Australians and a loss of confidence in the sector as a whole. We know everything won’t be ready, so we need to work with the Government and the opposition on a plan B.”
On top of wholesale reforms, aged care providers face significant challenges dealing with a workforce crisis and major sustainability issues.
