PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms BYRNES (Cunningham) (11:46): The Albanese Labor government is delivering the most significant aged-care reforms in a generation. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety laid bare a broken system that had been neglected for years under successive coalition governments. This won't be fixed overnight.
Our government is working to make sure that every Australian can age with dignity through a $5.6 billion investment, delivering on 58 recommendations of the royal commission. Over our first term, the Albanese Labor government invested $35.2 billion to improve safety, dignity and quality in the aged-care sector. We've delivered historic pay rises for aged-care workers, with a registered nurse now $430 a week better off under Labor, and there is now a registered nurse onsite in aged care more than 99 per cent of the time, with older Australians receiving an extra 4.8 million minutes of care every single day.
At the same time, there has been a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of residents experiencing chemical and physical restraint, falls that cause major injury, and significant unplanned weight loss. We've provided $53.2 million for states to deliver aged-care assessments faster, and last financial year we rolled out 83,000 new Support at Home packages, with a further 32,000 additional packages due this financial year.
The recent budget invested $3.7 billion for more aged-care beds, more home-care packages and better care for older Australians. We're making personal care services like showering and continence management free under Support at Home so older Australians can stay in their homes safer for longer, and we'll deliver an additional 5,000 aged-care beds every year from 2029.
I'm really pleased to see that investment is also being delivered locally in my electorate. The Illawarra has been suffering from a critical shortage of aged-care beds for years thanks to significant underinvestment by both state and federal coalition governments. It has put enormous pressure on our local hospitals and led to poorer outcomes for local families.
Since I was elected, I have worked closely across all levels of government, industry and the community sector to drive innovative solutions that work for our region. I have been so heartened by the collaborative approach of the New South Wales health minister and member for Keira, Ryan Park; the member for Wollongong, Paul Scully; Lord Mayor Tania Brown of Wollongong City Council; and the local health district under the leadership of the incredible Margot Mains.
This has only been possible thanks to passionate aged care and community sectors with advocates like Val Fell, the Illawarra Aged Care Taskforce and the Community Industry Group. Together we have secured substantial state and federal government investment into our local health and aged-care systems, which is really making a difference. In May this year we brought all of these sectors together with the Regional Development Australia Illawarra Shoalhaven with a clear focus on solutions to develop shovel-ready aged-care projects for our region, building on the work of the local Aged Care Taskforce.
The member for Whitlam and I worked closely with the Minister for Aged Care, Sam Rae, to ensure that the Illawarra was named as one of four priority areas under a special round of the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program for projects that would build new aged-care beds within two years. I am absolutely thrilled that we have now announced $25.9 million for investment to build 73 new aged-care beds across our region.
The projects include expansions and upgrades at Hillside at Figtree, Uniting Farmborough in Unanderra, IRT in Woonona and Tarrawanna, Marco Polo Woonona and Warrigal Mount Terry. That's 73 more beds to take pressure off Wollongong Hospital. Importantly, it means that more older people in our community can age with dignity close to home and close to their families.
These new aged-care beds come on top of a number of really important local aged-care investments that I worked closely with the previous minister, Anika Wells, to deliver. We've delivered $15.8 million for IRT's Marco Polo facility in Unanderra, supporting 48 additional beds due in early 2027. In 2023 we delivered 20 transitional beds at Figtree Hospital under the Transition Care Program to help ease pressure on Wollongong Hospital.
We also supported Community Industry Group's Illawarra— (Time expired)