Respect for senior Australians is, and must be, a national priority. Out of respect comes all that we value in the care of our ageing loved ones: dignity, quality and safety. As a nation, these are our goals for the aged care system.
My Government called the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to ensure our oldest and most vulnerable Australians receive care that supports and respects their dignity, and recognises the contribution they have made to society.
The final report of the Royal Commission makes 148 recommendations. Following 23 public hearings over 99 days, 641 witnesses, and over 10,000 public submissions, they are the product of wise and compassionate scrutiny of Australia’s aged care system.
We have heard the evidence of senior Australians and their families. It is a call to action. The Government agrees with the Commissioners that strong action is needed for fundamental and ambitious reforms.
The 2021–22 Federal Budget provides a comprehensive response to the Royal Commission’s final report. The proposed $17.7 billion aged care reform package is designed to deliver sustainable quality and safety in home and residential aged care services. This once‐in‐a‐generation opportunity to confront the inadequacies in aged care will bring real change to the system.
A new Aged Care Act, comprehensive in its scope and depth, will underpin these generational reforms. It will enact our determination to preserve the dignity of life at every stage.
Thank you to everyone who made a submission to the Royal Commission. Thank you for your stories –– difficult, personal, sometimes tragic. You told them with courage and insight. My Government will ensure that you did not tell them in vain.
The Government thanks the Commissioners, the Honourable Tony Pagone QC, Lynelle Briggs AO and the late the Honourable Richard Tracey AM RFD QC, for their tireless work in conducting the Royal Commission, and all those who contributed throughout the course of the inquiry.
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