A Case of Déjà Vu As The Aged Care Act Hits Another Setback

As the saying goes, nothing is certain except for death and taxes. Now, you can likely add a third certainty; the Aged Care Act being delayed.

Despite assurances the Coalition had informally supported the new Aged Care Act, Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell revealed they have actually picked out more issues this week. That means it is highly unlikely to be presented to Parliament any earlier than October.

“The Government believed last sitting week it was a matter of ticking it off, the opposition was in agreement with what’s happening. I’m being told after a shadow cabinet discussion that is not the case,” Mr Clennell shared. 

“This is extraordinary news because we thought this was a done deal. The Government believed this was a done deal and it’s far from a done deal.”

After speaking with his sources Mr Clennell was told the opposition wants aged care reform and is committed to negotiating for a better outcome.  

Mr Clennell reported that the reforms were not even discussed in the Coalition party room on Tuesday with concerns about putting a union delegate in every workplace as one of their new worries. The Government reportedly is calling this a ‘voice for workers’.

Sky News representatives believed that by asking for a union representative to be in every aged care home, the Government was setting itself up to fail.

The user-pays model where wealthier Australians will pay higher contributions to accommodation and non-direct care services was also highlighted as a sticking point. The key issue here, as reported by Mr Clennell, is the definition of wealthier Australians would be self-funded retirees – those ineligible for the Age Pension – who would be paying more for their aged care. 

“Some debate about that too. Is that really a wealthy Australian, should they be paying more?” he added. 

The Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, last week shared with International Dementia Conference attendees that she was confident – and hopeful – the opposition would provide bipartisan support for the Act very soon.

“We have had months of discussions. We are very close to an agreement that I know all of you understand it vital for older Australians. It’s vital that it be bipartisan support because you, as a sector, cannot have the rules change when the Government does,” she explained. 

She later said attendees could be the first to know if the opposition would support the Act as the shadow aged care minister, Anne Ruston, would be attending the conference the next day. However, while Ms Ruston was glowing about the improvements that have occurred in aged care, she steered clear of the new Aged Care Act.

With both the Senate and House not sitting until October – and then for only three days in the whole month – it appears the Government will struggle to secure opposition support before the end of the year unless a breakthrough can be achieved by the end of November.