QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (14:01): Our priority, as I indicated in response to a very similar question last week, is to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being spent to deliver the greatest benefit for older Australians. That does mean directing more funding into the care that people are relying on every day.

In the budget in May, our government delivered $3 billion for more beds, for more aged-care packages, for better care. To help fund those investments in aged care, the government will return the private health insurance rebate for older Australians to the same rate that is available to other Australians on similar incomes. We do understand that that is a challenging decision.

It's a challenging decision for government, but it is challenging for those people. It is challenging for older Australians, but there is a great deal to do to repair the aged-care system from the neglect that occurred under the Liberal coalition government over the last decade. Senator Ruston: You messed it up, not us.

The PRESIDENT: Order! I have called order a number of times on my left. I don't want to go through the usual procedure of calling you individually.

If I've called order, it means you. I shouldn't have to say, 'Senator Ruston, come to order'. Senator McALLISTER: There is a great deal to do to repair the aged-care system.

In fact, there is a decade's worth of work to do, because, during the last government, the aged-care system was characterised by neglect. They're not my words; they are the words of the royal commission into these same matters. You would think that the coalition had learned from that period—but no.

At the last election you might have thought that the coalition would go to the people with a whole suite of aged-care policies, but they didn't. In fact, there was not one single costed aged-care policy from the coalition at the last election. That is incredible.

It is hard to believe that coalition senators are willing to come in here and ask questions about the wellbeing of older Australians under those circumstances. The PRESIDENT: Senator Gatenby, first supplementary?