On the eve of the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care, Q+A asks are we failing our older citizens?
The pandemic has exposed nightmare stories of neglect for those in aged care. Providers are calling for government spending to be doubled, and a majority of taxpayers are willing to pay increased taxes to address the alarming state of the sector.
What needs to change? And are there are alternative models for aged care we should be exploring?
On the Panel this week:
Katie Allen
Liberal Member for Higgins
Katie Allen is the Federal Member for Higgins in Melbourne’s inner east. She has lived in Higgins for 40 years after growing up in Albury NSW.
Clare O’Neil
Shadow Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services
Clare O’Neil was first elected as the member for Hotham (previously held by Simon Crean) in 2013, and after re-election in 2016 she was promoted to Labor’s front bench as Shadow Minister for Justice.
Mike Baird
CEO of HammondCare and Former NSW Premier
Mike Baird was appointed CEO of HammondCare, an independent Christian charity that provideshealth and aged care services, in September 2020.
Jane Halton
Health expert and former head of Australia’s Finance Department
Jane Halton is the chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and co-chair of the COVAX initiative.
Joseph Ibrahim
Professor at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University
Joseph Ibrahim is a medical specialist in geriatrics and an academic Professor and Head of the Health Law and Ageing Research Unit at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University.
No one on the panel has admitted that the billions going in to our current aged care system are being transferred into private assets and profits – rather than transforming care outcomes.