Tony Abbott must explain the nasty $40 million cut to the aged care workforce development fund which will undermine productivity and jobs within the sector.
The Abbott Government promised a coherent aged care workforce strategy to address the demands of the aged care workforce, which must triple over the next 15 years to meet the needs of a rapidly ageing population.
The test for Tony Abbott’s second Budget was to plan for the future, but a coherent aged care workforce strategy is nowhere to be seen.
“Tony Abbott’s unfair cuts not only fail our elderly, but the service providers and the dedicated women who make up the majority of aged care workers,” Senator Polley said.
“The Government’s disregard for the value the aged care sector brings to the economy will have detrimental effects on the innovation and quality of aged care services, and our health services which are already strained.
“Tony Abbott is a notorious faux fixer and has once again tried to present cuts as solutions,” Senator Polley added.
What does it say about our society if we start turning our backs on the needs of our elderly just to minimise costs?
Tony Abbott is the reason Australia’s aged care sector is not world-class.
The sector needs certainty and stability not further cuts and tinkering around the edges.
Labor has done the heavy lifting and now it’s time for Tony Abbott to put the future needs of older Australians ahead of his own.
SENATOR HELEN POLLEY SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR AGED CARE SENATOR FOR TASMANIA
