With Prime Minister Scott Morrison now calling a Federal election for 21 May, aged care is firmly back in the political spotlight – but what is each party pledging for older Australians, and will it be enough to deliver quality care and support?
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese announced $2.5 billion a year over the next four years to fund five key measures in his Budget reply for the aged care sector, including:
- Mandating 24/7 registered nurses at every aged care facility by the middle of next year;
- Mandating 215 minutes of care per resident, per day;
- Backing a pay rise for workers at the Fair Work Commission, and fully funding the outcome;
- Developing and implementing mandatory nutrition standards for aged care homes; and
- Increasing integrity and accountability for the sector, including new powers for the Aged Care Safety Commissioner.
But Labor has yet to provide costings for these measures, which industry experts have estimated could total up to $18 billion over the next four years in additional funding to cover the increased staffing hours, expected wage rises and inflation.
The Coalition Government also made a significant commitment to aged care in last year’s Federal Budget, committing $18.8 billion to a five-year, five-pillar plan to reform the aged care sector.
This includes $3.9 billion to increase the number of direct care minutes in residential care to 200, including 40 minutes with a Registered Nurse.
But again, experts have costed these measures at closer to $6 billion over the next four years.
They also estimate that to move from today’s Registered Nurse coverage in residential care to Labor’s figures will require an extra 10,000 full-time equivalent nurses – a massive ask for operators in the current job market.
While it is great to see positive initiatives aimed at improving the lives of older Australians, these promises will have to be funded and resourced… and the Government now has an $800 billion debt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia’s taxpayer base is also shrinking rapidly, leaving fewer working Australians to foot the bill for aged care funding.
It is clear that there needs to be a conversation in the community about how we can help contribute to the cost of our care as we age, while continuing to support those without the financial means to access aged care services.
After all, politicians’ promises are welcome – but the money must come from somewhere.
