As Christmas and New Year approach, I look back on my first year as Minister for Mental Health and Ageing as a time of sustained activity in aged care. It’s an exciting time to be Minister for Ageing with the portfolio now situated within Cabinet. 

As well as implementing several important initiatives in aged care coming out of health reform, we are also making good progress in working with stakeholders to identify what further reforms are needed to meet the challenges ahead. 

The last few months, in particular, have seen a concerted and constructive effort by all parties - consumers, industry and unions – working together to shape the future reform agenda for aged care.   

Together we are making progress towards ensuring that older Australians continue to not only get the care, support and security they deserve, but also the opportunity to exercise more choice and control over the way they live their later years. 

This Government is committed to building a caring, socially inclusive and compassionate Australia – and this includes encouraging older Australians to continue to participate fully in life. Such a commitment takes on even more significance at this time of year – a time of giving and sharing. 

For me, a standout event in 2011 was having Prime Minister Julia Gillard release with me the Productivity Commission’s Final Report, Caring for Older Australians. Groundbreaking and thought-provoking, this report – and the Government’s response to it – has the potential to support significant and lasting improvements to aged care in this country for generations to come. 

But as important as that day in August was, the highlight for me has been the opportunity to meet with thousands of older Australians as part of the national conversation around ageing. At some 24 forums attended by more than 4,000 senior Australians, it has been my privilege to hear first-hand views about what needs to be done to reform our aged care system. I thank you all for your contribution. 

Wellness, workforce, palliative care, dementia and diversity have come up consistently in these conversations. These are the issues that are on people’s minds. 

Wellness 

The clear message I’m getting out of my discussions with older Australians is that they want to stay healthy, active and socially involved. They regard ageing as a time to enjoy and get the most out of life, to realise their potential not only in terms of their personal goals and family life but also as members of our broader society  Most want to ward off the physical effects of ageing and live independently for as long as possible, so that they can enjoy life in the best possible health, in the setting and community they choose.   

This certainly fits with the Government’s healthy ageing approach.  While it is as important as ever to ensure that when someone is sick or in need of care they can have access to high quality services, there is a great deal of truth in the old adage “prevention is better than cure”. 

But despite the very significant body of evidence that health prevention works, prevention and promotion have historically accounted for only a small proportion of spending on health and aged care. . 

This is something the Government is changing – not just through unprecedented funding for health prevention, but through a new localised approach to primary and preventive health care, spearheaded by Medicare Locals. 

Workforce 

The issue of having enough appropriately trained aged care workers keeps me awake at night. The quality and continuity of care is largely due to the dedication and commitment of these staff. 

The importance of supporting a high quality workforce is something older people and their families are acutely aware of – a very strong recurring theme in the conversations we have been having across the country. 

These challenges will become even greater in future decades, as Australia’s population ages.  As well as providing for the necessary growth of the aged care workforce, we will also need to ensure workers receive appropriate training to meet the increasingly complex needs of people receiving care services. 

We need to continue to skill and train them, motivate them, resource them and pay them a fair wage. 

Palliative Care 

I know that dying with dignity is something we find hard to talk about – but people I have talked with around the nation have certainly been vocal about the need for appropriate and effective end of life care. Medical advances enable us to keep people alive for longer – but people still want control over the extent of active treatment they receive as a terminal illness progresses. The need for appropriate and high quality palliative care was an issue highlighted in the Productivity Commission report and is an issue we are giving careful consideration to in developing our response. 

Dementia 

Australia faces two emerging epidemics at the moment – the first is type 2 diabetes, the second is dementia. 

Dementia is front and centre of the Australian Government's commitment to deliver a health and aged care system that best meets the needs of older Australians and their families. 

We are continuing to invest in dementia research and care, and programs that provide support to people living with dementia, including enabling people affected by dementia to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. A 204 per cent increase in the number of Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) Dementia packages since we came to Government is but one measure of that commitment. 

Diversity 

There is a need to move aged care beyond mainstream consumers to ensure it is responsive to the needs of all Australians, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex consumers. Roundtables we’ve had with these groups tell us that people’s differences need to be acknowledged, respected and supported – including in older age. We need to end the discrimination. 

In formulating its response to the Productivity Commission’s recommendations, the Government will be guided by four overarching principles.  Firstly, older Australians have earned the right to be able to have access to quality care and support that is appropriate to their needs, when they need it. Secondly, older Australians deserve greater choice and control over their care arrangements than the system currently gives them. 

Thirdly, funding arrangements for aged care must be sustainable and fair for both older Australians and for the broader community. Finally, older Australians deserve to receive quality care from an appropriately skilled workforce. 

The Government is giving careful consideration to all feedback it has received on the Commission’s Final Report. The Government is intent on ensuring that any reform of Australia’s aged care system will leave the system better-equipped to meet the challenges it is facing as a result of the ageing of the population.   

May I take this opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those in the aged care sector, key stakeholders and, fundamentally, older Australians, their families and loved ones. I look forward to working with you all in 2012. 

Mark