Albo calls for Colbeck sacking
LABOR leader Anthony Albanese has called for federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck to be sacked, as he ramped up his attack on government shortfalls in the sector.
Mr Albanese presented an eight-point plan outlining changes needed to fix the ailing industry in a speech to the National Press Club on Thursday.
“It has been a calamity years in the making on the government’s watch and it has been recognised in their own ranks,” Mr Albanese said.
“He has lost his responsibility and now Senator Colbeck should lose his ministerial title.”
Minimum staffing levels in residential aged care and a reduction in the home care package wait times for 103,000 older Australians were top of Mr Albanese’s list of reforms.
Increased transparency and accountability of funding to support higher quality care, along with independent measurements and public reporting, were also proposed.
Mr Albanese said residential aged care facilities must also have adequate personal protective equipment, better training for staff, including infection control and an improved surge workforce strategy.
He also called for additional resources for the aged care royal commission so it can inquire specifically into COVID-19 across the sector while not impacting or delaying the handing down of the final report.
However, taking the same position as the Morrison Government, Mr Albanese failed to commit to any changes until commissioners hand down their final report in 2021.
Earlier on Thursday, Senator Colbeck addressed the Senate where he again apologised for not having information last week about deaths in aged care and admitted that “there have been missteps”.
“I have been working every day with the (aged) care sector, providers, staff and families to ensure that these people in care, those who first cared for us, received the highest level of protection,” Tasmanian Liberal Senator Mr Colbeck said. “For this, I am accountable.” Senator Colbeck said 97 per cent of aged care facilities in Australia had no COVID-19 infected residents, setting “a high watermark”, compared to the UK, which was battling coronavirus in 56 per cent of its facilities.