Answers to Questions

Opened the debate

Sharma moved the motion to take note of the answers given by ministers. Sharma criticised the government for failing to provide accurate information about aged care package availability, citing a Prime Ministerial commitment not to mislead the public. Sharma highlighted that approximately 88,000 Australians were waiting for home care packages and 121,000 were awaiting assessment, resulting in wait times of up to 15 months for some. Sharma contrasted this with the previous government's record, noting that the current administration had released significantly fewer new packages and that the waitlist had nearly tripled. Sharma argued that the sector was ready to deliver care, contradicting ministerial claims that delays were due to sector unpreparedness.

Government response

Dowling acknowledged the distressing individual cases raised but emphasised the broader implementation of the new Aged Care Act, which was set to take effect on 1 November. Dowling stated that the government was allocating more than 2,000 home care packages weekly and that highest-priority cases were being allocated within a month. Dowling clarified that 99 per cent of people awaiting a package were already receiving some form of care, either through lower-level packages or the Commonwealth Home Support Program. Dowling noted that the median waiting time for an assessment had decreased to 25 days and argued that the delay in implementation was necessary to ensure providers were ready. Dowling dismissed opposition claims about a spare bedroom tax as dishonest scare campaigns.

Opposition response

O'Sullivan criticised the government's approach to Indigenous affairs estimates, arguing that removing a dedicated cross-portfolio day reduced transparency and accountability. O'Sullivan cited statistics showing increases in youth detention, suicide rates, and adult incarceration, alongside decreases in preschool attendance and developmental readiness for school commencement. O'Sullivan highlighted that over 200,000 Australians were waiting for home care support, including 4,812 who had died while on the waiting list since May. O'Sullivan characterised the situation as an outrage and argued that the government was avoiding accountability and failing to act on the ballooning waitlists.