In his first radio interview since being sworn in seven weeks ago, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae has admitted the aged care system is failing to meet community expectations.
Speaking on ABC Radio as part of the broadcaster's coverage of the 'sandwich generation' - those caring for both children and ageing parents - Minister Rae said, "I don't pretend for a second that the system is working to the standards that we would all like it to be".
The broadcaster has been inundated with hundreds of calls and messages from listeners sharing their frustrations about aged care, describing it as overly complex, inadequate, and distressing for older people and their families.
While conceding the system's shortcomings, the Minister emphasised the Government’s progress, reiterating key achievements that were often cited by his predecessor, Anika Wells.
"We now have registered nurses in our residential aged care homes 99% of the time," he said. "We've delivered higher wages with the Federal Government investing $17.7 billion in higher wages for aged care workers. We know that 74% of aged care homes have an overall star rating to go to your star rating question or 4 or 5 stars."
However, Minister Rae offered little in the way of relief for one of the most pressing concerns raised by listeners: prolonged wait times for aged care assessments.
“The new reforms that are coming in on the 1st of November are designed to again cut down on the wait times for assessment and to ensure that there is a greater consistency in assessment across all of Australia and the different people that require it,” he said.
Amid speculation about further delays beyond the new 1 November rollout, the Minister confirmed the Government remains committed to the new 1 November timeline.
“There are a range of reasons why delaying the Act was the right thing to do. It was a really difficult decision, particularly for a new Minister coming into the portfolio, but it was the right thing to do,” he stated. “We're working tirelessly to make sure that the implementation on the 1st of November is as smooth as possible.”
