In a recent radio interview with ABC Adelaide’s David Bevan, Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler found himself on the defensive over upcoming aged care reforms.
The new legislation, intended to overhaul aged care services for seniors remaining at home, has faced scrutiny due to proposed caps on vital support services like gardening and cleaning.
The heated discussion began when Bevan challenged Butler on a caller’s concern that these changes would force elderly Australians to live in deteriorating conditions.
The caller specifically mentioned caps that limit gardening to just 18 hours a year and cleaning to a mere one hour per week, questioning how such constraints would impact seniors’ quality of life.
Initially, Butler dismissed the caller’s concerns, insisting that the reforms would vastly improve at-home support for older Australians. “It’s a very substantial investment,” Butler emphasised, stating that billions of dollars would go towards enabling people to stay at home longer.
However, as Bevan pressed for specifics on the caps, Butler’s responses grew increasingly evasive. Bevan repeatedly asked Butler if the 18-hour gardening cap and one-hour cleaning limit were indeed part of the proposed legislation.
Initially avoiding a direct answer, Butler suggested the reforms were still under review by a Senate Inquiry, vaguely stating that the government was “having a pretty close look” at the proposed caps.
When pressed again, Butler eventually conceded that the bill does indeed include these restrictive limits, admitting, “Yes, but as I said the Bill is not finalised.” This backtracking appeared to confirm the community’s fears that essential services would indeed be limited under the new guidelines.
In the interview’s most telling moment, Butler attempted to redirect the conversation, emphasising the broader benefits of the reform.
However, Bevan interrupted, stating that Hannah, the concerned caller, was “pretty much on the money.” Forced to acknowledge this, Butler admitted that while there would be a cap on these services, the government is still considering changes based on public feedback.
The issue of so-called “grandfathering” also raised questions, with Bevan asking if existing recipients of aged care packages would keep their current services under the new scheme.
Butler assured listeners that “people stay on their existing arrangements,” but was unable to answer definitively on whether these caps would apply to current recipients or only to new entrants.
His responses again suggested a lack of clarity or unwillingness to fully address the concerns, prompting Bevan to comment, “Some people might be worried that Hannah seems to know more about the Bill than the Aged Care Minister.”
The interview concluded with Butler facing additional challenges from callers, including concerns over whether one hour of cleaning per week could realistically support elderly Australians living independently.
While Butler reiterated that the bill is still subject to change, he acknowledged that the goal is to maximise resources for personal and nursing care, implying a need to cut back on services like cleaning and gardening.
The Minister also noted that the Senate Committee’s feedback on these caps is under “deep consideration,” leaving room for potential revisions before the bill is finalised.
I hope this interview has emphasised to the minister that cleaning and gardening are a major part of aged persons health.
The Hon. Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Mr. Butler,
I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment over the introduction of the Aged Care Bill 2024 and its potential impact on the lives of vulnerable Australians. As the Minister for Health and Aged Care, I believe you bear a heavy responsibility to protect and advocate for the most elderly and vulnerable members of our society. However, I fear the provisions of this bill do not adequately reflect this duty of care.
The Aged Care Bill 2024, as it currently stands, seems to undermine the progress that has been made in addressing the long-standing issues in our aged care system. Far from delivering the much-needed reforms, the proposed changes fall short in providing essential safeguards for older Australians. The bill does not sufficiently address staff shortages, funding inadequacies, or the systemic failings that have plagued the sector for decades. It also appears to neglect the voices of both aged care workers and the families of those receiving care, both of whom are essential stakeholders in any meaningful reform.
Given these shortcomings, I believe you have failed to meet the expectations of the Australian public in delivering a comprehensive, transparent, and effective approach to aged care reform. The government’s approach to this issue is clearly out of step with the urgent needs of both the aged care workforce and the elderly population who rely on a system that is far from adequate.
In light of these concerns, I am calling on you to resign from your position as Minister for Health and Aged Care. The handling of the Aged Care Bill 2024 and the ongoing failures within the sector indicate that you are not the right person to lead this crucial area of policy. Your resignation would allow for the appointment of a new minister who is better equipped to address the profound challenges facing Australia’s aged care system.
The Australian people deserve better, and I urge you to reconsider your position in light of the overwhelming concerns about the Aged Care Bill and your role in its development.
Sincerely,
Unfortunately the caps on cleaning 52hr / year and gardening 18hr / year are only the tip of the iceberg of the ill-thought-out Support at Home program.
The service list, the variable rate of co-contributions (from 5% to 80% of the prices chzrged by providers ) according to services, the co-contributions on the Assistive Technology and Home Modification (AT-HM) scheme (strollers, ramps, etc. ), the “use it within three months or lose it” budgeting, are some of the other important points of concerns.
“Squalid” is the right term.
People will opt out of a restrictive and expensive system with potentially tragic consequences onto their health.
In my experience, even if you can get a cleaner, their definition of ‘cleaning’ is far from ideal. In the few months I used the service provided locally; having someone for an hour a fortnight, I never had the same person more than once. The toll on me (woe is me lol) to show them where things were and what was required was more than it was worth.
To do it myself was ideal but recuperating from surgery meant I was hamstrung but I was still able to do a better job in some areas than the cleaner.
Only one lady did the job thoroughly and quickly, and when I enquired if she could come all the time, she apologised, saying she was too busy (she was relieving the day I had her). I told her she was the best I’d had, and she agreed that most don’t clean thoroughly anymore.
Great interviee to try to flush out the truth. Truth had becime a foreign concept to this industry.
Why are the changes referred to as ‘reforms’. Clearly they are not reforms. Calling them reforms is playing the game of gaslighting and doing exactly want govt wants to cover up the changes.
We , and especially the media, muat stop using the inaccurate and deceptive rhetoric fed by government.
You’re right Denise. Duty of Care is unapparent in their world.
Great interview to try to flush out the truth. Truth has become a foreign concept to this industry.
Why are the changes referred to as ‘reforms’. Clearly they are not reforms. Calling them reforms is playing the game of gaslighting and doing exactly want govt wants to cover up the changes.
We , and especially the media, must stop using the inaccurate and deceptive rhetoric fed by government. We must use accurate words if evet we are to get actual reform without deception for the aged.
Year after year for years now, Aged Care is being considered less and less as important.
The demise of Meals on Wheels in so many shires was to me, the start of the downward spiral we now face.
Mr Butler will only realise his lack of empathy when he reaches the age when he needs the services.
It will s disgusting that the government is looking at imposing strict limits on care for the elderly while at the same time they waste billions providing NDIS services above and beyond even the most generous benefits for aged care. Every parent seems keen to get their child diagnosed with autism ADHD etc so they can get individual child care when as a parent they should be looking after their child. They may need assistance with different therapies but why does this extend to house cleaning and gardening which are tasks they would have to go whether their child us disabled or not. It seems to me that if NDIS operated sensibly there would be enough savings from that to adequately assist the elderly whose age is a disability that only gets worse.