❓ Mr O'Donnell questions the Minister for Health regarding Professor Flicker's resignation from the Aged and Continuing Care Directorate, implying the government prioritises the elderly poorly, especially during COVID-19. The Minister defends the government's actions and blames the Commonwealth for failures in aged care.
AnsweredQoN 725Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AGED AND CONTINUING CARE
DIRECTORATE — PROFESSOR LEON FLICKER
725. Mr
K.M. O'DONNELL to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
Why are the elderly such a low priority for this government that Professor
Flicker would resign, especially during the middle of the COVID crisis when the
elderly are particularly vulnerable?
DIRECTORATE — PROFESSOR LEON FLICKER
725. Mr
K.M. O'DONNELL to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
Why are the elderly such a low priority for this government that Professor
Flicker would resign, especially during the middle of the COVID crisis when the
elderly are particularly vulnerable?
AnswerView source ↗
How we treat aged care in the
context of the organisational charter with the Department of Health is very
different from how we treat aged care in the
context of an effective response to COVID-19. As I said, the work that we have
done around COVID-19 has been extensive and comprehensive, and it
continues today. I met with the entire aged-care community last month at a forum
at which we talked about the issues the industry is confronting and how we can better support it. I think the member would find
among the aged-care sector that all would speak very highly of the close
relationship they have with the government, and I thank them all for the great
work they have done. As I said, Professor Flicker has been in that role for six
years and I will continue to work with him. Aged care remains an important part
of what we do in caring for vulnerable Western Australians. The fact is that
the commonwealth regulates and funds aged
care. The fact that we are seeing such devastating responses in relation to the
deaths in the aged-care cohort in
Victoria is a fundamental failure by the federal government to properly fund
this area of care and health. That is entirely regrettable. Because of
the great work the Department of Health has put into the aged-care sector during COVID-19, we would not see that
situation occur in Western Australia. That is because of us and not because of the commonwealth government; it is despite the commonwealth
government.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.
context of the organisational charter with the Department of Health is very
different from how we treat aged care in the
context of an effective response to COVID-19. As I said, the work that we have
done around COVID-19 has been extensive and comprehensive, and it
continues today. I met with the entire aged-care community last month at a forum
at which we talked about the issues the industry is confronting and how we can better support it. I think the member would find
among the aged-care sector that all would speak very highly of the close
relationship they have with the government, and I thank them all for the great
work they have done. As I said, Professor Flicker has been in that role for six
years and I will continue to work with him. Aged care remains an important part
of what we do in caring for vulnerable Western Australians. The fact is that
the commonwealth regulates and funds aged
care. The fact that we are seeing such devastating responses in relation to the
deaths in the aged-care cohort in
Victoria is a fundamental failure by the federal government to properly fund
this area of care and health. That is entirely regrettable. Because of
the great work the Department of Health has put into the aged-care sector during COVID-19, we would not see that
situation occur in Western Australia. That is because of us and not because of the commonwealth government; it is despite the commonwealth
government.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.
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