Shadow Minister for Health, Aged Care and Sport, South Australian Senator Anne Ruston, has criticised the Government's decision to delay the implementation of once-in-a-generation aged care reforms by four months.
Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing, and Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae, announced earlier today (Wednesday 4 June) that the 1 July start of the new Aged Care Act will be delayed until 1 November 2025.
"Today’s embarrassing backflip by the Albanese Labor Government on the delivery of their aged care reforms is a clear admission of failure — and one that could have been avoided," her office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Opposition proposed changes to the Bill during consultations last year that would have given aged care providers, staff, and older Australians more time to prepare, but the proposals were unsupported by the Government.
She said, “The aged care sector has been crying out that the 1 July deadline was not deliverable without causing serious negative consequences. Why has it taken the Government until 5 minutes to midnight to alleviate the stress and uncertainty they have inflicted?"
"Instead, we have seen them refuse to listen to hardworking aged care providers, create serious stress and uncertainty around the provision of care to older Australians, and oversee a home care wait list that has spiralled out of control – leaving more than 83,000 people waiting for the care they need," Senator Ruston said.
“It’s time the Government starts doing the hard work necessary to ensure that older Australians have access to the care they need and deserve, when they need it.”
The peak bodies in the ageing sector have also responded to the shock decision.
