Aged-care appears to be looming as a central focus for the newly anointed Morrison Government, with the Coalition announcing a major funding boost for the aged-care sector yesterday.

A prime indicator that senior Australians are high on the policy priority hierarchy for the revitalised government, Scott Morrison unveiled a $90 million funding package yesterday. An additional $16 million is set to be injected into boosting enforcement and compliance measures, with tangential legislation establishing an aged-care quality and safety commission. The first update to regulatory standards in over 20 years is also set to materialise.

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt says the gamut of reform here signals the government’s commitment to older Australians.

“It gives absolute emphasis to the fact that Morrison is committed to ensuring senior Australians have dignity and safety within their living arrangements and that they have a quality of life they deserve,” he tells Michael McLaren

It’s thought the unified, centralised commission will help prevent elder abuse and other transgressions in the sector, without any duplication or added bureaucracy.

“It brings all the functions into one central, statutory body. It’s one place people will go where there is shared information. It will have an overarching view of the total landscape of aged care.”

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