DOCUMENTS

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (10:11): The Albanese Labor government is getting on with the job of delivering once-in-a-generation reform for high-quality, world-class aged-care services for older Australians. We're investing $47 billion in aged care this year, and that is the largest amount in the nation's history.

The 2026-27 budget makes one thing very clear: the work of fixing aged care did not end with the passage of the Aged Care Act. With $3.7 billion to keep building and strengthening our aged-care system in the 2026-27 budget, our government is continuing to invest, continuing to listen to older Australians and continuing to listen to the people who care for them.

Generational reform is not a single moment; it's a long-term project. Our government is getting on with it. The subject matter of the order demands particular care.

I'm advised that complying with this order requires searching for, extracting and cross-referencing waiting list data against mortality data across the financial year. That is not a small undertaking. It requires care in identification and it requires care in checking the resulting figures before they are put before this chamber.

In responding to order for the production of documents No. 633, the minister advised the Senate that this data is still undergoing validation. The government has a responsibility to ensure that figures of this kind are accurate before they are released. I wish to assure the Senate that work to comply with this order is continuing and a response will be provided to the Senate.

These are matters of real consequence for older Australians and their families, and they deserve to be treated with appropriate care