Labor candidate for Cowper, Andrew Woodward, believes the Royal Commission into Aged Care should hold a special sitting in regional areas, including the Mid-North Coast.
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“Aged care is an extremely important issue for our region and it is important for local people to participate in the Royal Commission, without having to travel to Sydney or Brisbane,” Mr Woodward said.
“There are 5,274 people in aged care in on the Mid-North Coast, stretching from Great Lakes and Grafton. Just over 50 per cent of people using permanent residential aged care on the Mid North Coast at the middle of this year had a diagnosis of dementia.”
He said the federal electorate of Cowper covering Port, Coffs, Kempsey and the Mid-North Coast had a high number of older residents – “a quarter of all people in the electorate are aged 65 and older”.
“We also have close to 2,500 people working in aged care residential services, representing close to four per cent of the workforce, double the state and national averages.
“This week’s Four Corner’s expose on the state of Australia’s aged care sector showed an industry in crisis, and highlighted the urgent need to fix the funding shortfall for aged care.
“The stories that emerged this week were chilling. As a community, we cannot stand by and accept that this is the best we can do. Just last weekend, the Daily Telegraph also reported allegations of bullying and sub-standard care at an aged care facility in Coffs Harbour. (Source: Daily Telegraph)
“Industry analysts have claimed that over 40 per cent of aged care facilities around Australian are currently operating at a loss.”
He said a Royal Commission in itself, however, would not change anything and it was vital the Royal Commission be given the power to make recommendations on critical issues such as staff numbers, working conditions, and funding models.