Doorstop - Greenway, ACT
18 September 2018
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s a beautiful Canberra morning and it’s great to be out at Louise’s place and great to meet Ray and Wendy here and to be joined by the Minister for Senior Australians, Ken Wyatt and the Assistant Minister to the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance, but importantly today, the Liberal senator for the ACT. It's been great to be here with Ray and Wendy and Louise. Ray is the recipient of one of the level four in-home age care places. They cost around $50,000 a year, we are increasing the number at level 3 and 4 in-home age care places by 20,000 over the last 12 months. Those places will increase from just under 40,000 to round about or just over 74,000 over the next four years. It's part of our increased investment, year on year, in delivering age care services. That includes home age care services.
More and more Australians like Ray and Wendy want to be able to age in their own homes and in appropriate accommodation, where the grandkids can come round and see pop, where they can spend time in just normal family environments, before ultimately if that is required, to move into residential aged home care places elsewhere. So this is an important program. It's one that has is keen priority of our Government, because we know that we want Australians to have those choices and to have those services. I was pleased to hear that they're pleased with the services they are getting. Louise also gets some in-home support which is at a more low level, so that support around the house and changes to the structure of the place to make it easier for her, so she can remain longer and longer in her house. She's getting on with life, she's just married a 91-year-old recently, so good for her. She's the newlywed in there today.
Our government is 100 per cent focused on ensuring that older Australians, senior Australians can age with dignity, keep their choices, stay in their homes and have the choices to live their life the way they want to do it. We’ve got a lot of work to do. The Royal Commission into aged care will be also looking at the in-home age care places, as of course it will be dealing with young people living with disabilities in residential age care. It is a very focused inquiry, it's important that we keep the focus of the inquiries. If they become an inquiry into everything, they become too broad. I want to ensure that this inquiry remains very focused so it can give us some very clear direction. Everything else will continue to keep happening, we’re going to walk and chew gum, aren’t we Ken?
THE HON. KEN WYATT, MINISTER FOR SENIOR AUSTRALIANS AND AGED CARE: Absolutely right.
PRIME MINISTER: When it comes to what we are doing in this space, we are going to keep doing the job of rolling out more reforms, lifting quality and standards, capability in the sector and standards, capability in the sector, building the capacity of our centres. I announced just last week the additional investment for rural and regional centres. We want to make sure the in-home aged care places are also in rural and regional parts of the country.
That’s our plan, that’s our programme. We are getting on with it. The Royal Commission will be, I think, a great assistance to all of this, but we’re not waiting for the Royal Commission to finish before we get on with the plans and programmes we have. The two will be working in concert. Happy to take questions, have we got any questions on aged care before we go to politics?
JOURNALIST: On the Royal Commission, I actually have a question on behalf of an elderly lady called Iris. Her wheel-chair bound son was severely burnt while in the care of a disability organisation and she asked me to ask you; will you consider extending the Royal Commission to disability services? Because a lot of the providers are the same groups doing the same work.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Royal Commission will be into residential aged care and it will cover those Australians living with a disability in residential aged care. We are going to keep it focused. The issues that you have raised will have the attention of the government and just the other week I was at a wonderful facility up in Brisbane which was run by Youngcare. We’re doing work with organisations like that to ensure we get more investment in those facilities and those sorts of programs, which can provide the sort of support you are talking about to those young people.
I think there will be implications for how care is provided to young people with disabilities that will come out of this Royal Commission. But equally, there are things we could be doing there right now. Now, the NDIS and disability care services, many are still being stood up around the country. They've been running for a short period of time by comparison to aged care services. So that's why the Royal Commission will focus on those more long-running services, on in-home care, residential aged care. But when it comes to supporting young people with disabilities, this also a very high priority for me. That will be getting the strong attention of the government.
JOURNALIST: Having seen Four Corners now, what was your reaction?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I was in Cabinet last night. Ken was able to watch the program and I want to commend the ABC for the work they've done on the program. I mean, I know Ken did that after he saw the program last night. It's highlighting issues and that was no surprise to me, we were seeing the same issues through the work we’ve done through the increased policing and enforcement which has led me to the decision that I've taken in my first weeks of being Prime Minister. But it is important this is done independently, by a Royal Commission to get to the facts. To ensure that everybody, whether it's the Parliamentarians, whether it's the media, whether it's others, we’re all working off the same impartial information base. But Ken, do you want to make a comment about that?
MINISTER FOR SENIOR AUSTRALIANS AND AGED CARE: Four Corners last night went to some very salient points, particularly in terms of the first individual who was a Holocaust survivor, whose life was impacted by the lack of attention. We’re focused on that and certainly the new commission will be much more rigorous in the way in which they expect and we expect as a Government and society expects age care providers to look after those we have entrusted to their care –
JOURNALIST: But you have been looking after this portfolio for some time, are you saying you were not aware of the revelations that came out in that story last night?
MINISTER FOR SENIOR AUSTRALIANS AND AGED CARE: Yes I am and we’ve been working on it. After Oakden I approached the Prime Minister and suggested we evaluate and assess where the Commonwealth had a role in its’ strengths of providing that level of scrutiny, but where we also failed. Because of the Carnell-Paterson report, we’re now establishing a new commission which brings them all together, so there are no singular silos and they work collectively to provide certainty to senior Australians.
PRIME MINISTER: The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission legislation comes into Parliament this Wednesday. That will be an important piece of legislation and it's further demonstration that the Government is getting on with the job of protecting senior Australians in their older years.
JOURNALIST: What is the Royal Commission going to tell you that you don't already know?
PRIME MINISTER: If I knew that answer to that question, I wouldn't have commissioned a Royal Commission would I? I want to know the things I don't know. All politicians should want to know the things they don't know. The reason I've asked for this Royal Commission to be done is I want to be assured that the incidences we are aware of, about how widespread they are and potentially - to go with the earlier question - whether they reach into other sectors as well. If that's the case, then that provides a further line of inquiry.
So this is an honest question we are asking with the Royal Commission, a very honest question and we have to brace ourselves for the answers.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] extend it to retirement homes? I know it’s a state issue but –
PRIME MINISTER: No, it's a state issue that would require the agreement and participation of the state and territory premiers and their governments. That's an open invitation to them, but that is something for them to consider. I'm not going to allow that process to delay us getting on with the job of this Royal Commission.
JOURNALIST: On Ann Sudmalis, last night the Liberal Party’s Vice-President said some women “just need to suck it up”. Do you think this is part of the problem? That this goes far beyond the federal level down to the state level and there’s a misunderstanding across the board of how serious this issue is for women?
PRIME MINISTER: No, Ann has spoken for herself and what she's referring to - and indeed in my discussions with colleagues about the issues that others have been discussing over the last few weeks - where they have focused their attention and concerns, is what's been happening in the party and organisation.
That's why I've requested the Federal Director and Federal President bring before Federal Executive a programme for rigorous and confidential receipt of complaints and dealing with those within the Party organisation. We have that process within the parliamentary Party, it's the same process that the Labor Party has. What are effectively our pastoral councillors in the whips, David Bushby and Nola Marino, they manage the welfare of our colleagues. That's how that's handled and that's how complaints and other issues are raised within the parliamentary Party. I want to be confident that the Party organisation under their responsibilities, is doing the same thing. Because that's where Ann's complaint has gone to, that's where she's been concerned. I'll leave that to the Party organisation to address.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I can’t hear over the shouting.
JOURNALIST: Does Gareth Ward have further questions to answer?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s for Gareth and the state organisation to determine.
JOURNALIST: You keep alluding to state issues on this. Are you 100 per cent confident that it is not an issue within the federal Parliamentary party?
PRIME MINISTER: I am.
JOURNALIST: Kelly O’Dwyer said the investigation should be independent, do you agree with that and how -
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's what a rigorous process is, yes.
JOURNALIST: In terms of the discussion that you had with Senator Lucy Gichuhi, what have you promised her and did that not give you some doubt about your claims that there is no problem?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Lucy directly told me she'd not experienced any of that bullying in the federal parliamentary Liberal Party. She said her concerns were about the state party organisation.
JOURNALIST: Have you been advised be the whip of any issues of bullying within the Party prior to the leadership spill a few weeks ago?
PRIME MINISTER: Prior to the leadership spill? No, I had not.
JOURNALIST: Do you agree that Ann Sudmalis has been subjected to; “bullying, betrayal and backstabbing?”
PRIME MINISTER: Well, politics is a pretty rough business, we all know that, we all know that. Party selections and local party politics can frankly get a bit … not focused on the real issues, people can get all caught up in these little skirmishes in branches. It's not that it only occurs in the Liberal Party, we only have to look in Western Sydney and the Labor Party, you’ve seen what’s happened with the Member for Lindsey and what's been happening out there. This can happen in the local branches of any organisation, it can happen in the local branches of a P&C frankly, though I don’t think it probably gets as willing as what we see in politics.
It's important Party members, like parliamentary members, always remember why they're involved in politics; that is to serve the Australian people, not to carry on with stupid games. Now, I used to work as a party director in New South Wales. It was always - there’s I think a bit of a comradery regardless of what political party you are from, whether you are a General Secretary or party state director - we all get frustrated by the shenanigans and silliness that goes on within political party organisations. It irritates the stuffing out of me, but you know, it doesn't distract me.
It's my job, as the Prime Minister and the leader of my Party, to look through the dust that gets kicked up in politics, whether it's in party organisation or frankly whether it's in the Canberra press gallery or anywhere else. Look through the dust that gets kicked up around this place and focus on the issues that matter to Australians every single day.
That's why I'm here at Louise's place today, that’s why I’m talking to Wendy and Ray. Because what matters to them is their in-home care places and preserving the choices they want to make about their own life. I don't think they’re terribly interested in the branch politics of the Liberal Party anywhere in the country. When it comes to my priorities, what they’re interested in ranks far higher.
JOURNALIST: Why did you take until yesterday to open a letter from Ms Sudmalis?
PRIME MINISTER: Because that was the discussion that Ann and I had, she was considering what she ultimately wanted to do and I left it sitting on the table until we had a further discussion.
JOURNALIST: What do you say to constitutional law experts like George Williams and Anne Twomey who say there is now a stronger case than ever before for Peter Dutton to be referred to the High Court?
PRIME MINISTER: I respectfully disagree. Thanks.
