Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 2:01:11 to 2:05:39
Senator Ruston seeks clarification on accommodation supplements and subsidies for new aged care homes, requesting projections for bed supply over the next four years.
Topics: Health, Government spending
Speakers: Senator The Hon Anne Ruston, Mr Jason Lange, Mr Daen Dorazio, Senator The Hon Jenny McAllister
Thank you, Senator Gate. Senator Ruston. Just quickly finishing off on um resicare if I could please. So just to clarify, um, of that 1.7 billion we taught it was 224 million. Uh sorry, I'll wait till you get back, sorry. Don't go too far, Mr.
That was on this.
Cheers. So just to clarify, the 224 million was for um the dementia um special um project. Um the 348 million dollars was for the um subsidy for bed um what was it, it was um expansion of existing premises and rebuild? Is that correct?
Uh technically, uh trace and language, Senator, technically it's um new homes, not necessarily rebuilds could be.
No, so it's new homes or is it expansion of existing homes?
So there's two elements there, Senator. It's um you call providers would qualify for the $30 per supported resident per day where it's a new home.
Yep.
The concept of new home could be literally a new building or could be a knockdown rebuild as a new home. And the $15 per supported resident per day is where there's a significant expansion of the number of beds in that existing facility of 40% or more.
Okay, so there's doesn't it cover refurbishment?
No, it doesn't.
So if you did a substantial refurbishment made your place, the flashest place in the whole world, if you don't increase the number of beds, you're not eligible for this subsidy.
No, of course the providers would be eligible for the higher accommodation supplement, which does cover um new expansion, uh new new um upgrades to the facilities, but not as part of this measure. That's correct.
Sorry, what were they eligible for?
The higher accommodation supplement that has.
So the higher accommodation supplement was the 1.1 billion?
Uh sorry, Senator, that the has is an existing mechanism that's not in any way related to the 2627 budget.
Okay, right. So the 1.1 billion is relates to the $5 uplift across the board, plus the tiering of the 30 to 40 per cent and the over 60?
Plus the new yes, the the over 60 is in 20 per supported resident per day for facilities that have 60 per cent or more supporting residents.
Is that a permanent measure or is it a temporary measure?
Uh so the additional 20 dollars per resident per day is available through to June 2036 and the $5 resident increase is an ongoing measure.
Yep. Okay, thank you. Um in terms of the the um the subsidies, the $15 and $30 subsidies, um are they ever paid on commencement of construction of the beds or um when the beds come online?
Uh it's paid by services Australia when there is a resident uh sorry, when the beds are uh become operational beds and there's a resident in that bed.
Um is it possible on the basis of the information that we've just discussed? Um the consequential changes in relation to um obviously the an act funding and what the 1500 beds that the department thinks may possibly um not proceed as a result of that. Um can you give us your current projections on builds year on year for the next four years in total? And which of those are as a result of measures and which of them were organically expected to happen anyway. So, how many how many beds did you did the model assume would come online each year without the changes? And how many beds are going to come online with the changes?
So, Senator, I don't have that here with us now. We would be happy to take that on notice.
Okay. Um if you could do that, that would be um that would be fantastic. All right, Mr. Pugh So, Secretary, you said you had the date that the ministers were advised.