Defence Portfolio
Ms TEESDALE (Bass) (18:46): I rise today to speak about aged care, but more importantly about dignity. We don't see aged care as just a line in a budget; we see it as being about people. It's about the person who has lived in the same home for 40 years and who wants to stay there a little longer.
It's about the daughter trying to organise care for her mum while watching someone she loves become more vulnerable. It's about the aged-care worker who notices when something's not quite right and offers comfort in moments of real vulnerability. Across Bass, families, carers, older Australians and aged-care workers continuously tell me the same thing.
They want older people to be safe, respected and supported where and when they need it. That's not too much to ask. It's the most basic promise we should make as a country.
For too long, Australia's aged-care system did not live up to that promise. It was criminally neglected. Too many families experienced long waits, too many older Australians did not get support early enough, and too many workers carried a system that did not actually value them.
That's why this reform really matters. Our government, the Albanese Labor government, has made aged-care reform a priority. We're investing $3.7 billion to deliver more aged-care beds, more home-care support and better care.
It's not just a box-ticking exercise. We know that there is much more work to do, but we are working on it. In Bass, it's the access that matters in particular.
It matters whether there's a suitable place close to home, it matters whether a family can visit without driving for hours, and it matters whether someone can stay connected to their community and the people that they love. This investment is reaching Bass directly. At Respect Group's Fred French facility in Launceston we've invested $2.84 million to convert an unused wing into an 11-bed memory support unit, at Calvary Sandhill in Launceston we're investing $1.75 million to create a 12-bed memory support unit, and at Southern Cross Care in Low Head—a stunning location—we are investing $666,000 to refurbish four unused staff villas, which will bring those spaces back into service.
These are not infrastructure projects to me; these are rooms where families will visit, they're places where people with complex needs will receive more appropriate care, and they're practical investments in dignity, safety and comfort. Too many families know the heartbreak of dementia. They know how hard it can be to keep someone safe and they know that love alone is not always enough.
Families need specialist care. They need services that understand dementia and respond with patience, with skill and with compassion. I look forward to those rooms opening in the very near future.
When we look at aged care, we know it's not just about residential care. For many older Australians, the strongest wish is simple: they want to stay at home, in their own bed, in their own chair, in their own garden, with their own community. We're working towards making that more realistic.
From 1 October, our personal care services will be fully funded by the Commonwealth for people who need that support. These are not luxuries, and we know this; they're basic human needs. They go directly to dignity.
The new Aged Care Act places the rights of older Australians at the very centre of that system. We've strengthened the quality standards and transparency. We've ensured there are more nurses in aged-care homes, increased the care minutes and backed aged-care workers with significant pay rises.
It's the aged-care workers who do essential work, and for far too long that work was very much undervalued. They were overlooked. They were poorly treated.
There is so much more that we need to do, but we're working on it now. No-one pretends that the aged-care system can be fixed overnight, but we should recognise that progress is being made. We have more beds, more home care, more dementia support, more nurses, better pay for workers and real investments, particularly for my electorate of Bass.
Every Australian deserves to feel safe, supported and respected. Every family deserves confidence that their loved one is receiving high-quality care. Every aged-care worker deserves to be valued.
That is what the people of Bass deserve, and that is absolutely what we are working towards.