1st Dec 2020, 3:55 PM – Senate Motions - Covid-19: Aged Care - Take urgent action + criticise Morrison Government

The same number of senators voted for and against a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Anne Urquhart (Labor), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Australia's aged care system was in crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic,

(ii) sadly 685 older Australians have died in residential aged care facilities due to COVID-19, and

(iii) the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety's special report into COVID-19 stated that the Morrison Government did not have a COVID-19 plan devoted solely to aged care;

(b) recognises the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, that:

(i) the Morrison Government did not prepare for COVID-19 in aged care despite early warning signs,

(ii) there was difficulty for aged care workers to access personal protective equipment,

(iii) there was insufficient infection control training for aged care workers,

(iv) there was no surge workforce strategy document,

(v) the Morrison Government did not have any idea of how many aged care staff were working across multiple sites, and

(vi) reports on the number of infections and the sites were not made public in a timely manner; and

(c) calls on the Morrison Government to take responsibility for fixing their aged care system in crisis and take urgent action now.