Palliative Care Australia (PCA) is urging the Australian Parliament to pass the much-anticipated Aged Care Bill as a central component of Australia’s ongoing aged care reforms. 

“It’s time we finalise this important step in Australia’s health and aged care reform agenda. Getting it done will be one of my key messages when I address the Senate Standing Committee for Community Affairs in Brisbane later this week,” says Camilla Rowland, Chief Executive Officer, PCA. 

“The Aged Care Act is the critical missing piece in delivering on the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission. Passing the Bill before Christmas will give the aged care sector the certainty it needs to implement further positive changes.” 

The Senate Standing Committee has been taking submissions, looking for feedback and areas of improvement before the Bill goes back to Parliament for further debate and hopefully endorsement. 

“PCA has consulted with our members, our National Expert Advisory Panel, and a range of other stakeholders and has lodged a detailed written submission to the committee. I appreciate the invitation to speak directly with Senators and answer their questions at the hearing in Brisbane on Friday,” Ms Rowland says. 

“Importantly, the Bill recognises that all people using or seeking Commonwealth-funded aged care services have a right to equitable access to palliative care and end-of-life care when required. 

“This is the culmination of many years of advocacy. If appropriately resourced, and backed up by monitoring and reporting, the new Act will be foundational in realising the Royal Commission’s vision that palliative care become ‘core business’ in aged care.” 

PCA is making several other recommendations to strengthen the Bill and its implementation, including:  

• Adding definitions of palliative care and end-of-life care to provide a clear basis for community expectations and provider responsibilities in these areas.
• Government urgently providing clarity about how younger people with significant care needs, including those with terminal diagnoses, will be supported outside of the aged care system. This is necessary because the Bill will, for the first time, introduce age cutoffs which will restrict access to aged care for people under 65. 
• Phasing the implementation time frame for a new supported decision-making framework, to ensure all stakeholders are clear about their respective roles and the interactions with existing state and territory legislation.  

“Our recommendations are intended to highlight opportunities to strengthen the Bill and ultimately improve access to quality palliative care in aged care settings,” Ms Rowland says. 

“But most importantly, we must get this done to bring certainty to those who operate and work in aged care services.” 

View and download PCA's full submission to the Senate Standing Committee for Community Affairs HERE.