The alarming and disturbing reports of mistreatment in aged care facilities today are clear evidence that the Rudd Government has neglected aged care and has failed in its duty to our frail aged, says Shadow Minister for Ageing Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
“In 2007 Kevin Rudd promised ‘new directions for frail and older Australians’.
“In 2010 with aged care in crisis and the sector crying out for reform it has been parked with the Productivity Commission that will not report until April 2011,” said Shadow Minister for Ageing Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
“Also in 2007 Kevin Rudd promised ‘making the transition from hospital to Aged Care a priority area’.
Buried in Budget Paper No 2 2010-11 was the following ‘The Government will redirect funding of $276.4 million over three years from high care residential aged care places to the State and Territory governments to provide similar levels of care for Long Stay Older Places (LSOP) in public hospitals.’
“Vulnerable frail and aged Australians were used to buy off the States so that Kevin Rudd got his way on his grand hospital plan. The shunting of money destined for nursing home beds to prop up incompetent State and Territory public hospitals surely has to be one of the lowest acts of this Government,” said Shadow Minister for Ageing Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
“Aged care is another casualty of Labor’s failure to take hard decisions and no serious reform. This is another infamous broken promise from Kevin Rudd that is directly affecting the most vulnerable and it is a cruel act to treat our frail aged Australians in this way.
“This Government simply does not care about our frail and aged and would rather spend millions on advertising to attack the mining industries instead of ensuring older Australians have the care they deserve,” said Shadow Minister for Ageing Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
“The inaction and incompetence of the Minister for Ageing is highlighted by the total lack of action on numerous aged care reviews and reports since 2007. The Minister only announced the terms of reference of the Productivity Commission aged care inquiry almost eight months after the initial announcement last year.
“This clearly shows the Rudd government wants our frail aged out of sight and out of mind in an election year,” said Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.