The Chair of the Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce made the observation this week during a virtual panel discussion on how COVID-19 has exacerbated issues affecting older Australians – taking the opportunity to again point to the Government’s lack of leadership in the aged care sector.

Professor Pollaers – who appeared with the Age Discrimination Commissioner The Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO; Associate Professor Briony Dow – Director of the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI); advocate and current aged care resident (and Royal Commission witness) Merle Mitchell AM – noted there had been a long line of reviews of the sector with no action by the Government.

He labelled the Royal Commission’s report, released last week, a “huge win” – because it is the first time the Government has been held accountable to implementing recommendations from a report.

As we covered here, Aged Care Minister Senator Richard Colbeck said the Government would commit to all six recommendations from the Commissioners – including a requirement to report on the progress of their implementation not later than 1 December 2020, now less than two months away.

The question is now: will the Government meet this deadline?