8th Sep 2022, 11:38 AM – Representatives Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022 - Second Reading - Small and regional facilities

The majority voted in favour of disagreeing with an amendment to another amendment moved by Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Farrer MP Sussan Ley (Liberal). Because this motion passed, the amendment to the amendment failed and the original motion will remain unchanged.

This amendment to the amendment was introduced by Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie (Centre Alliance), who explained that her amendment:

calls on the government to take into account ... that smaller and regional residential aged-care providers which are experiencing critical workforce shortages have flexibility.

Amendment to the amendment text

That all words after "whilst" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"the House:

(1) has concerns that the bulk of the substantive measures comprising the bill are to be detailed in subordinate rather than in primary legislation; and

(2) calls on the Government to

(a) provide an opportunity to review the Quality of Care Principles, User Rights Principles and Information Principles proposed to be made under the Aged Care Act 1997;

(b) include in the Quality of Care Principles under Schedule 2 criteria for the exercise of exemption powers which provide for smaller and regional providers taking into account critical workforce shortages among other considerations; and

(c) specify in Information Principles under Schedule 3 financial and non-financial information of value to older Australians, their families and the community that must be published by the Secretary, including:

(i) expenditure on care, nursing, food, maintenance, cleaning and administration;

(ii) profits;

(iii) payments such as rent to third parties; and

(iv) expenditure on executive salaries".

Original amendment text

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:

(1) notes that, of the aged care providers who do not currently have a registered nurse on site, and on duty, at all times, 53% are based in regional and remote areas and 86% are small providers; and

(2) calls on the Government to ensure that:

(a) when amending the Quality of Care Principles to make provision for an exemption to the new responsibility relating to registered nurses, the disproportionate impact on providers in regional and remote areas, especially small providers, is taken into account; and

(b) further consideration of the bill is deferred until two sitting days after a draft of legislative instruments relating to the following matters are made available:

(i) exemption from the responsibility related to registered nurses as proposed in section 54-1A of the bill; and

(ii) information about aged care services that must be publicly available as proposed in section 86-10 of the bill".