The Aged Care Royal Commission Interim Report, released today, provides an alarming insight into a sector in desperate need of reform. The problems highlighted in the media over the last year or so are clearly not isolated incidents. The emerging truth is that the aged care sector has deep systemic problems, which will require not only greater Federal Government investment but also significant structural reforms.
I am hopeful that the Royal Commission final report provides a blueprint for those changes, and that the Federal Government has the sense to implement that blueprint. In the meantime the Federal Government must act immediately on the three interim recommendations and implement more Home Care Packages, reduce the reliance on chemical restraints and keep young people with a disability out of aged care.
Australia is a rich and clever country that should know how, and be able to afford, to care for our elderly to the worlds very best standards.