QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr RAE (Hawke—Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) (14:51): I thank the member for Whitlam for her question, and I acknowledge her profound contribution to our care economy before she joined this parliament. I had a great time with her and the member for Cunningham when we visited older people in the Illawarra recently. In just a few short days, Australia will take a once-in-a-generation step forward in our care of older people.
On Saturday, the Albanese Labor government's new Aged Care Act comes into effect, delivering safer, fairer care for hundreds of thousands of older Australians. We came to government determined to fix a system that had been left to crumble, a system the royal commission found unacceptable and unsustainable. It said of those opposite, 'Their main consideration was the minimum commitment they could get away with.' On Saturday, we'll deliver the next step in the transformative change Australians have been waiting for.
This is a reform built carefully, designed alongside those it serves—older people and their families, workers, providers and experts—planned, tested and communicated so that older people don't have their care interrupted. From Support at Home to strengthened residential standards, our changes will make sure that older Australians can get the right care in the right place at the right time, helping them live their later years with the dignity and the joy that they deserve.
It means more people can stay in their homes for longer, with the support, equipment and modifications that they need to live independently. And it means safer residential care, with stronger standards, clearer obligations and more accountability. Every older person on a home-care package has been written to directly.
Providers have had months of support and guidance about the changes coming this weekend. We've held webinars, town halls and workshops across the country to make sure that people have the information they need, and we're continuing that outreach every single day. We're ready to deliver this reform, but it's not the end of the journey.
There's more to do. We'll make sure we're keeping pace with demand so that older Australians can get the care they need for generations to come. We'll be ambitious about supporting people who need more intensive care than traditional aged care can provide.
And we'll keep working with the sector to get the settings right for older people, for workers and for a sustainable system into the future. We are on the eve of generational reform. On Saturday, Australia will have a better aged-care system, one built on safety, dignity and respect and designed to meet the needs of generations to come.