Wednesday, 27 August 2025

Bills

Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Mary-Anne Thomas:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Eden FOSTER (Mulgrave) (18:10): I rise today in support of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025, and I thank the Minister for Health and the Minister for Ageing in the other place for their work on this. This bill goes to the heart of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of a Labor government: protecting those who are most vulnerable in our society. Aged care is about how we treat the people who raised us, who built our communities and who shaped the Victoria we know today. It is about the care and dignity we provide to our mums and dads and our grandparents, and one day it will be about the care that we ourselves receive. Every Victorian family wants to know that when their loved one enters an aged care facility they will receive not just shelter, not just food, but genuine, safe, respectful, professional care. Yet for too long we have seen too many examples of neglect, under-resourcing and gaps in accountability that leave residents exposed to unnecessary risks, and we saw this highlighted specifically during the COVID period when many in private sector aged care, sadly, were significantly affected by this neglect.

This bill is another important step, though, in closing those gaps and ensuring that medication, one of the most sensitive and high-risk aspects of aged care, is handled only by those with the training, skill and clinical judgement to do so safely. This legislation makes a number of vital changes to strengthen protections and support Victorians in aged care, ensuring that only highly qualified health professionals such as nurses are responsible for administering specialist medication. It represents both a safeguard for residents and peace of mind for their families. We know that Victorians are living longer and that many are entering the aged care system later in life with complex health conditions that cannot simply be managed when living at home. This often means that aged care residents have a strict medication regime, with 36 per cent of people living in Victorian aged care facilities being prescribed nine or more medications.

As somebody who is perhaps in the prime of their working life, I can say that would be a headache for me to manage, and I know during my process of receiving chemotherapy having numerous medications to take was also quite challenging to remember. It was not nine tablets a day, but it was still a daunting thing. Add that to chemo brain and it can be quite a forgetful process, let alone for an older person that is also trying to manage some of the cognitive declines that go with ageing. We often see that in our family members, and I know my paternal grandmother who had Alzheimer’s struggled a fair bit. I remember seeing her in an aged care facility struggling to even remember who I was when I would visit. It can be quite challenging, and to try and remember to take your medication can be a very difficult thing. We know that 19 per cent receive antipsychotics, which can carry particular risks if not managed appropriately.

As the number of medicines people take increases and the complexity of care increases, the risk of medicine-related problems also increases. In 2020 the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia estimated that 20 per cent of unplanned hospital admissions from residential aged care are a result of inappropriate medicine use. That is a significant, additional and unnecessary strain on our healthcare resources. The 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified medication management and safety in residential aged care as an essential area for improvement. The royal commission’s report highlighted incidents of inappropriate management of medications, including medicines not being administered correctly or residents being given tablets without oversight to ensure they swallow them. Currently, medication is mostly administered by registered nurses and, under indirect supervision of an RN, enrolled nurses and personal care workers.

While personal care workers play a vital role in residential aged care, particularly in relation to personal care, mobility and daily living, this is a more unregulated workforce without the qualifications and skills to understand therapeutic benefits of medication and recognise and respond to potential adverse reactions. It is not sustainable for us to take on the increased risk to our loved ones that this represents.

This legislation seeks to correct this and amends the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981. It will place an obligation on Victorian aged care providers to ensure that only registered and enrolled nurses administer, prescribe and dispense drugs of dependence and schedules 4, 8 and 9 medications. This includes prescription-only medicine and controlled drugs. The changes to this act also include specific exemptions and update language and terminology in line with the new Commonwealth Aged Care Act 2024. These changes only apply to residents who do not administer their own medication and only while they are in an aged care facility and will not change existing settings to do with assisted dying and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners.

These changes are here today after a long period of consultation. The Department of Health has provided input since 2022, and more recently the department has been consulting with stakeholders to ensure the reforms are implemented correctly. In addition to consulting directly with our public sector residential aged care services, the Department of Health consulted with nearly a third of the non-government sector, ensuring representation from private, charity, community, religious and culturally and linguistically diverse providers operating in regional and metropolitan locations. I would particularly like to acknowledge the support of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the union for nurses and other health practitioners. To quote Maddy Harradence, the current secretary of the ANMF, ‘Medication administration is a core nursing responsibility,’ and these changes support nurses to work to their full scope, delivering safe, high-quality, person-centred care and improving job satisfaction. When these reforms are implemented, aged care providers will only need minimal staffing changes. We know that most residential aged care homes have nurses administering medication already. On average and based on a 2024 survey, nurses administer medication 91.2 per cent of the time in public sector residential aged care services and 81.2 per cent of the time in non-government homes.

I would also like to use this time to speak about how these changes affect my electorate. My electorate includes a number of aged care facilities in both Monash council and the City of Greater Dandenong. A common trend across my entire community, particularly with older members, is how common it is for people to primarily speak languages other than English. We know that when one is ageing they revert to their primary language or their mother tongue. I was recently in a discussion with the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, and they raised with me how common it is for members of the Vietnamese community to revert to using Vietnamese when they get older, knowing and being proficient in English. We know that migrant communities that speak languages other than English are far more likely to suffer from these medical accidents and are often unable to communicate with exclusively English-speaking staff. That is why I am proud to stand here in support of this bill and this government’s reforms, which support my community across the Mulgrave electorate and support the most vulnerable in our community.

In conclusion, this bill is about more than just technical amendments to an act; it is about trust – trust that when we entrust our loved ones to a residential aged care facility the system will not fail them, trust that those administering powerful medications know what they are doing and are accountable for doing it correctly and trust that this government will continue to act when we see risks emerging in our health and aged care systems. I am proud that these reforms have been built on consultation with health professionals, unions and the community. They reflect not only expert advice but also the lived experiences of families across Victoria who have witnessed the devastating consequences of poor medication management. By strengthening the law we are honouring those stories and making sure fewer families suffer in the future. I again thank the Minister for Health and the Minister for Ageing for their tireless work on bringing these reforms to us. I commend the bill to the house.

Rachel WESTAWAY (Prahran) (18:20): I rise this evening to speak on the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025 and to indicate that we will not be opposing this very important legislation. This bill represents a crucial step forward in ensuring that our most vulnerable Victorians, our elderly residents in aged care, receive the respect, dignity and professional care they deserve when it comes to medication management. Every Victorian, regardless of their personal needs and circumstances, deserves to be looked after with dignity in their later years.

We cannot ignore the stark findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The commission heard devastating evidence about the inappropriate management of medication in our aged care facilities. As the commission reported, they heard about aged care staff members failing to administer medications correctly or administering medicines but failing to ensure that residents actually swallowed them. They documented failures to administer medicines at the correct time or in the correct dose and residents being administered incorrect medicines generally. These are not mere administrative oversights, these are failures that can have life-threatening consequences for our most vulnerable citizens. Our elderly Victorians built this state. They deserve nothing less than excellence in their aged care. When 20 per cent of unplanned hospital admissions from aged care facilities result from inappropriate medicine use, we know we have a systemic problem that demands legislative attention.

I have been fortunate to recently visit three outstanding aged care facilities in my electorate as part of Aged Care Employee Day with Tom Symondson, CEO of Ageing Australia, and Danni Campbell-Manley. At Australian Unity’s Alba suites, Mecwacare Malvern and Bolton Clarke’s Europa on Alma I witnessed firsthand the dedication and professionalism of our aged care workforce. These are amazing modern facilities equipped with the latest technology and staffed by committed professionals. At Mecwacare I observed the innovative use of a robot called Abi. She was absolutely extraordinary. She was probably half my size, looked like a Lego figure and chatted to residents. As we have heard from my colleague across the chamber, residents often revert to their native language when they are in aged care, when they are getting older or if dementia sets in. It was absolutely beautiful to see a robot that was so sophisticated that it could speak in nearly a hundred languages and communicate with residents. We are seeing innovation in aged care facilities, and this is really important to ensure that our older residents just feel comfortable in their facilities. At Bolton Clarke they were celebrating their 140th year of service, and I saw the depth of experience and commitment that defines quality aged care. But what struck me most profoundly were the skills and dedication of the doctors, nurses and staff I met. These professionals understand ultimately that medication administration is not a routine task. It requires clinical judgement, the ability to recognise adverse reactions and the expertise to respond appropriately when complications actually arise.

The statistics paint a sobering picture of the complexities we are dealing with. Thirty-six per cent of Victorian aged care residents are prescribed nine or more medications daily, the highest rate of polypharmacy in the country. Nineteen per cent receive antipsychotics or medications that carry particular risks if not managed appropriately. When I considered the residents I met during my recent visits, many with complex chronic conditions and multiple health challenges, it became crystal clear that these are real people with complex needs. Whether they are managing diabetes or heart conditions or challenging behavioural symptoms of dementia, every resident deserves special care. We have to honour their dignity and meet their individual circumstances. Medication administration in these settings requires nothing less than professional clinical care. These are not simply tablets being dispersed, these are complex pharmaceutical interventions that can mean the difference between comfort and suffering, stability and crisis, or life and death.

This bill recognises that reality by ensuring only registered nurses, enrolled nurses and other authorised health practitioners can actually administer drugs of dependence and schedule 4, 8 and 9 medications. This includes antibiotics, opioids, analgesics like morphine and oxycodone, benzodiazepines, and other high-risk medications.

However, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the elephant in the room: workforce capacity. The sector will need approximately 650 additional nurses to meet these new requirements. We know that there is a nurse shortage and we are already significantly challenged across Victoria, particularly in regional and rural areas. This is where government must step up and work collaboratively with the sector to ensure these shortages are addressed comprehensively. As Anne McCormack from Mecwacare put it during my visit there, we need partnerships and not just policies. The $7.6 million allocated over four years for state-funded services is a start, but we need clear, more robust responses that provide the private and not-for-profit sectors some answers. We must do more. We must work hard, hand in hand with providers, peak bodies and training institutions, to create clear pathways into aged care nursing and to make these careers attractive and sustainable.

In my electorate of Prahran we are fortunate to have exceptional aged care facilities, including Jewish Care in Windsor and Royal Freemasons in Moubray Street, alongside the facilities I recently visited and outlined. These providers understand the importance of clinical excellence in medication management, and many are already operating to the standards this bill will mandate. But they also understand the workforce challenges ahead. During my conversations with facility managers and clinical directors, the message is consistent: they support these reforms because they know they improve resident safety, but they need government to be a genuine partner in addressing the workforce pipeline. As one director told me, we are not just caring for bodies, we are caring for people’s mothers and fathers, and they all deserve the very best. Many of us have been touched by this experience, having to consider aged care for our family members, for our parents, for people that we love. They are not just bodies, they are actually people, and we want the very best for them. That is absolutely what they deserve.

I am pleased that this bill includes measured implementation timelines. The July 2026 commencement date, coupled with a 90-day grace period, demonstrates the government’s recognition that transformation of this magnitude requires careful planning and support. The bill also sensibly provides for exceptional circumstances, genuine emergencies or unexpected staff shortages where delayed medication could place residents at risk. This is not about creating loopholes for inadequate rostering, it is about acknowledging healthcare is unpredictable and patient safety must always come first. The five-year review process and regular sector engagement through voluntary surveys will ensure that we can monitor implementation and make adjustments where they are needed. This is not about a set-and-forget reform, it is the beginning of ongoing commitment to excellence in aged care medication management.

But let me be clear: legislation alone will not solve the challenges in aged care. This bill creates the framework for safer medication administration, but it also must be coupled with continued investment in workforce development, ongoing collaboration with the sector and unwavering commitment to treating our elderly citizens with the dignity that they deserve. When I think of the residents I met during my recent visits, people who have contributed decades to building our communities and who deserve nothing less than the highest quality of care in their twilight years, I know we have a moral obligation to get this right. Every person, regardless of their cognitive ability, their cultural background, their financial circumstances or their complex medical needs, deserves to receive their medication safely and with dignity.

We are not going to oppose this bill, because it represents a step towards ensuring that our most vulnerable Victorians receive the professional, skilled care they deserve and it aligns our state with the recommendations of the royal commission and brings aged care medication management in line with hospital standards. But support for this bill must be coupled with continued vigilance around workforce capacity, ongoing collaboration with the sector and sustained investment in making aged care nursing an attractive career choice for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Whilst I only have 10 seconds left, I do want to acknowledge that the aged care workforce has a lot of people from non-English speaking backgrounds coming in from overseas to assist us. Thank you and a shout-out to all of them.

Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (18:30): I rise today in support of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025. This is a bill that speaks to our values as a Parliament and as a community. It places the safety, dignity and rights of older Victorians at the centre of aged-care reform and responds to the urgent need for change in how medication is administered in residential aged care homes across our state. This legislation is not just a technical fix, it is a moral and practical response to years of concern, advocacy and evidence that medication practices in aged care need to be safer, more accountable and more respectful of the people receiving care.

For too long personal care workers, who do incredible work under challenging conditions, have been placed in the difficult position of administering high-risk medications without the clinical training or legal protection to do so safely. These workers are dedicated, compassionate and essential to aged care, but they are not nurses. They should not be expected to carry out tasks that require clinical judgement, especially when it comes to medications that can cause serious harm if misused. This bill corrects that. It ensures that only qualified health professionals such as registered nurses, enrolled nurses with approved training and authorised practitioners like GPs and pharmacists can administer high-risk medications, including drugs of dependence, opioids, benzodiazepines, antibiotics and clinical trial medications.

Importantly, this bill also protects the rights of residents who are capable of self-administering their medication. It does not take away their autonomy. Instead it reinforces the principle that aged care should be person centred, respectful and clinically safe. Residents will still be able to take their own medication when it is safe to do so. The bill also allows for exceptions in emergencies, where delaying medication could put somebody at risk. This is a balanced approach, one that prioritises safety without being rigid or unrealistic. The legislation is a direct response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which revealed heartbreaking stories of medication mismanagement, residents receiving the wrong dose at the wrong time or not at all. In some cases medication was given out without proper oversight, without clinical judgement and without consent. The commission called for stronger safeguards, better training and clearer accountability. This bill delivers on those recommendations.

I want to acknowledge the tireless advocacy of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the mighty ANMF, particularly the Victorian branch, which has campaigned for this change for years. They understand that medication administration is a core nursing responsibility – not just a task but a clinical process that involves assessment, decision-making and care planning. When I was an adviser to the Victorian Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, the Honourable Luke Donellan, I met for the first time in person the formidable Lisa Fitzpatrick and Paul Gilbert, who have been the strongest advocates for these changes.

The Labor government listens to and values nurses. Under our government they have received an incredible 28 per cent pay rise to recognise the important work they do. I also listen to and value nurses. I have to; I am surrounded by them. My mum was a nurse in aged care. My sister is a nurse. Three of my sister in laws are nurses, four of my good friends are nurses and right now my daughter is being looked after by the dedicated nurses at the Royal Children’s Hospital. In fact I did not end up having a 40th birthday because I did not set a date with enough notice to work into rosters.

Recently I visited the Northern Hospital with our wonderful new federal member for Calwell Basem Abdo, who brought the Deputy Prime Minister to Broadmeadows to talk to the nursing students about the fabulous $330-a-week placement support payment the federal government started in July. I heard from some of the nurse educators how hard it has been for many doing the 20 weeks of unpaid placements they are required to do, often far away from home and especially hard for those who have to pay rent or mortgages. These nurse educators told me a heartbreaking story. In the past they had had to speak to one of their students about personal hygiene, never an easy conversation, but through this conversation they learned she had no option but to live out of her car to complete her placement. But the Labor government’s placement support payment now helps all of our aspiring nurses, teachers and social workers to undertake placements with dignity and support, and I thank them for this very important initiative.

Supports like this reduce barriers. That helps grow the workforce, which in turn enables us to put in place requirements to keep older people who are living in residential aged care safe and can offer more dignity of care with improved staffing numbers. We saw evidence of this during the pandemic in public aged care, with improved staff ratios than the private sector, and I thank the ANMF for their advocacy on that outcome, also delivered by the state Labor government. Better ratios support all staff in aged care, and I also want to give a big shout-out to the personal care workers who work so hard to give people the dignity, care and respect they deserve.

I am so pleased the federal government is also supporting wage rises to these dedicated caregivers, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for the important work they do every day.

While the Deputy Prime Minister was in Broadmeadows, I also took the chance to show him the magnificent Health and Community Centre of Excellence at Kangan Institute, where the caring people of the north can turn their values into skills for the jobs we need now and into the future – jobs in health, early education, justice, mental health, disability, aged care and nursing – jobs that are both in demand and deeply rewarding. I thank our Minister for Health for visiting recently and our Minister for Skills and TAFE for her strong support of this $60 million investment in Broadmeadows, investment that helps build the workforce we need now and provide for the growing need into the future.

The royal commission into aged care also recommended there be nurses in aged care at all times, and the federal government is mandating this from November this year, ensuring that the legislation we pass on drugs and medications in this place is also practical and enforceable. By having only qualified health professionals administering high-risk medications, we are not only improving safety, we are also supporting nurses to work to their full scope of practice. This leads to better job satisfaction, stronger continuity of care and earlier detection of health issues in residents. Unsafe medication practices have led to avoidable hospitalisations, increased pressure on emergency departments and distress for families. When medication is administered incorrectly, it can cause falls, overdoses, infections and deteriorations in health. The bill will help reduce those risks. It will ensure that medication rounds are not just about handing out pills but are opportunities for nurses to assess residents, detect early signs of illness and intervene before a crisis occurs.

The reform has not been rushed. It has been developed through extensive consultation with unions, peak bodies, aged care providers, multicultural organisations and health professionals. It reflects the voices of those who are on the front lines and those who live in aged care every day. It also aligns with Commonwealth legislation and modernises the language and terminology used in our laws to reflect current clinical standards. The changes will come into effect on 1 July 2026, giving providers time to adjust, train staff and ensure compliance. The government will provide support and guidance to help aged care homes transition smoothly. There will also be a five-year review to ensure the reforms are working as intended and that providers continue to have the resources they need.

I recently participated in the DPV Health MP round table along with Iwan Walters and Bronwyn and many of my colleagues from the north, where aged care was a key focus. We discussed expanding local services and investing in health hubs across the north, including in Broadmeadows, and improving access to GPs and mental health support. These priorities reflect the needs of our growing and diverse populations. As a lifetime resident of the Broadmeadows electorate, I have seen firsthand the dedication of our local health workers and the resilience of our families. This bill is for them. It is for every nurse who stayed late to monitor a patient, every carer who has raised a concern and every family member who fought for safer care. The bill is not just about medicine, it is about justice, dignity and respect. It is about recognising that older people have the right to safe, high-quality care and ensuring that aged care is not a place of risk but a place of dignity, comfort and community.

I fully support this bill. It will ensure older Victorians are safe, respected and well cared for. It gives nurses and aged care workers the support they need to do their jobs properly, and it gives families peace of mind. In Broadmeadows and across Victoria, people deserve aged care that is kind, professional and trustworthy, and this bill helps us get there. We are working with the federal government to make aged care better for everyone, because when we care for our elders with dignity and compassion, we build a stronger, fairer community, and that is exactly what Labor stands for. This bill also speaks to the broader vision we have for aged care in Victoria and building something better, creating a system where older people feel safe and valued, where families can trust that their loved ones are receiving the best possible care and where health professionals are empowered to do their jobs with confidence and pride.

In Broadmeadows we have seen the impact of strong community-based care. Facilities like Ottoman Village Aged Care are more than buildings – they are homes. They are places where relationships are built, where cultural needs are respected and where care is delivered with compassion. We must ensure that all aged care homes across Victoria can offer this level of service. I know I have said it before, but I cannot thank enough the workers at Plumpton Villa aged care for the dignity and care given to my father and our family in the short time he was there to spend his last days.

Speaking on this bill, we have the opportunity to recognise the critical role of carers, both paid and unpaid, in supporting our older people. Carers are the unsung heroes of our health system, providing emotional support and helping manage meals and medication and advocating for their loved ones. The bill supports carers and reduces the burden and stress on families. And while I am giving a shout-out to carers, I really want to give a shout-out to my mum, who cared for my dad for 20 years after he became a paraplegic. Her dedication and commitment, even during the toughest of times, was second to none and an inspiration to many. I commend the bill to the house.

Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (18:40): I rise today to talk on the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025. I am very lucky; both of my parents are still alive, both in their 80s, and fortunately for them, touch wood, they both still live at home. But in my previous role as a plumber I used to do a lot of work in aged care facilities. We just heard the previous member talking about the dignity and respect that we need to give our elderly residents in regional Victoria and also in metropolitan Melbourne. We need to make sure that if they are moving into these residential facilities, we do have all the things in place to make sure that they live a happy and healthy life as best they can.

This bill seeks to amend the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 to strengthen medication safety in aged care settings by ensuring clinical responsibility for administering specific medicines rests with qualified health professionals. I think we all agree with that. Nowadays, with the amount of medication and tablets that are needed, and as we are living longer, we need to make sure that they are administered right. We have a lot of elderly people and people in general that now have a lot of allergies, and we need to make sure that this medication, which is helping with prolonging their lives, is administered safely. This is why we are bringing this in.

The bill updates the legislative framework governing medication administration in residential aged care facilities, and only registered and enrolled nurses or other health professionals, such as doctors and pharmacists, may administer prescribed drugs of dependence and schedule 4, 8 and 9 medications. These are the ones we need to make sure, if they are being administered to anybody, we are doing the right thing with and getting the doses correct.

This aligns Victorian legislation with national aged care standards and Commonwealth reform. The bill supports clinical governance frameworks that ensure safe and accountable medication practices to bring aged care settings into line with the standards in hospitals and other health services. That is just making sure that we have the correct people administering these drugs. In aged care and hospitals we know that we could always do with more workers. The government is making sure here – which we are agreeing with – that when we are in healthcare situations in aged care facilities, we are confident that the person administering the drugs to our loved ones is competent, qualified and, at the end of the day, knows what they are doing. We do not want them mixing drugs, which is going to end up disastrously. So we are making sure that this happens.

Personal care workers will no longer be able to administer drugs of dependence and schedule 4, 8 and 9 medications to aged care residents. As we just spoke about, having the correct and qualified nurses and medical professionals administering them takes away that opportunity. If we do have a place where we do not have those officers and nurses who are qualified to administer those medications, the personal care workers are no longer able to do it. This bill is just making sure of that.

Our aged care facilities right around regional Victoria and especially in the Latrobe Valley have definitely changed over the years. We have had a progression, fortunately now, for our ageing population, and as the years roll by, we all might be in that situation if we are lucky enough to live long enough to become a burden to our children, hopefully. If that happens and we need to go into these facilities, we need to make sure that the people that are looking after us are qualified. I touched on some of the facilities around the Latrobe Valley – for argument’s sake I will use my mum and dad as an example. As I said, they are still in their own home, which they have been in for a while. My mother is firmly against me going into a home, but they can now shift into some –

Paul Edbrooke: You are too young to go into a home.

Martin CAMERON: I know, I might beat them in there. There are some wonderful units that form part of these facilities now where they can move in and still live unassisted in the facility in these actual units. Hopefully they live out their life in these units or, as my mum and dad do, live out their life at their family home. You can progress into these facilities and go into a bit of care, which is monitored care in rooms, or if it turns out they need palliative care, they can actually move in where there is full-time, 24-hour representation by medical practitioners to look after them.

Currently the administration of controlled medicines is predominantly managed by registered nurses and then actually administered by enrolled nurses and care workers. Care workers are not trained or qualified in recognising and responding to issues that may arise, such as adverse reactions to medications, and that is what I was talking about before. A lot of us, as we journey through getting older, require a lot more tablets and medications to keep us upright. Whether it be issues with cholesterol and our heart or other issues that may show up later in life, we need to make sure that if we are adding a new drug or pill to our regime, it is administered properly and all checks and balances are done. Aged care residents increasingly have more complex needs, as I mentioned. It is just a fact of life that this can happen. We all cannot be youthful like the member for Euroa and her little daughter down here. My journey is certainly further down the track than what they are.

Thirty-six per cent of Victorian aged care residents have been prescribed nine or more medications. I remember the member for Gippsland East Tim Bull talking about his mother that was in aged care up there and lived to a great old age. The member for Gippsland East was talking about the amount of medications; as each year rolled on, there was another medication introduced. We need to make sure that no matter what age people are at and the medications that they are requiring, they are now going to be administered by fully qualified professional nurses or practitioners that know the signs of when things go wrong.

The reform responds to sector feedback and addresses significant concerns identified by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, such as appropriate and unsafe use of medications. As I said right at the very start of the workforce inside these facilities, we all know it needs to be strengthened and we need to have more and more people that are actually able and licensed to administer these drugs as we move forward, because more and more of us are ageing gracefully and living longer. We do not oppose this bill, and we commend it to the house.

Josh BULL (Sunbury) (18:50): I am pleased to follow on from the previous speaker and have the opportunity to make a contribution on the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medication Administration in Residential Aged Care) Bill 2025. To just follow on from the comments from the previous speaker, supporting those in aged care and making sure that those people who enter aged care within local communities are supported and are supported in a way that community, government, loved ones and everybody has a sense of certainty and safety in is something that we should of course all strive for.

The points that members have gone to in their contributions around this bill this evening go to some of those changes that we have seen across the aged care landscape both within our state and within other territories and jurisdictions across the country. That goes to some of the data. We know those in aged care are indeed living longer, as was mentioned by the previous speaker, and do have a range of complex medical and healthcare needs. Making the necessary provisions for the care of those individuals is something that this bill directly addresses, and that is something that I welcome. In listening to not all but some of the contributions from those opposite, I can see that that is also something that is supported, which is important.

What we know – and Acting Speaker Hamer, I am sure you know as the hardworking local member that you are and other members right across both sides of the Parliament know – in having the opportunity to visit aged care both as a local member but also to visit people like my nan, who was in aged care in Werribee for a significant period of time, is having the opportunity to speak with staff and to see how communities interact within the aged care system is something that I think is really important for society and for community. Because when you have the opportunity to visit and you have the opportunity to speak to staff and understand the complexities, the dynamic and the environment that is in many of these places, you know and understand that there is lots of variance. There is variance to which people are at different stages within their life. There is variance to the way that medicines are administered – the care, personalities, size and location. All of these things change the dynamic settings of aged care.

There has been a significant amount of work that has been done both by the feds and by this government that goes to improvements within the sector. I think the hardworking local members that so many people are within this place know and understand that when families and communities raise these issues within aged care, we have got a profound obligation to make sure that we support processes, initiatives and legislation such as the one before us this evening to improve that system. What that means is that we are getting better outcomes for communities. We saw, particularly in the pandemic, some very challenging circumstances which arose due to a whole range of failings within the system. We have got to be honest and we have got to be up-front about the way that those matters played out.

But what is really important is the work that is done by so many within this space. I heard the fantastic member for Broadmeadows making some contributions around work that she did in a previous role. When I was the Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Volunteers – and I have spoken about this before – working with people like Gerard Mansour and others who have done so much both within the advocacy space but also in the changing dynamic and the work that is being done through many of our advocacy bodies around elder abuse and a whole range of other matters, you get a sense of just how important these matters are to individuals.

These should be matters that we all want to tackle, because in the end it is about providing the very best quality of life. It should not matter where you come from, what your medical needs are or what your journey is as a senior within our community; we should all want to make sure that that period of time in your life is one of dignity, is one of care and is one that communities can be proud of. When you see it work well, it works really well, and when you see it work poorly, it works very poorly. That of course means that people get hurt, we lose lives and people get harmed, and that results in tragedy. The piece of legislation that is before the house this evening makes a range of changes, which others have mentioned, that go to the medical care of those that I have discussed in the 6 minutes that I have been making the contribution thus far. The bill seeks to ensure that there is that additional support that I mentioned before, to go to that improved practice and to implement the reforms that have been heard through extensive consultation and engagement with the sector.

The commencement date of 1 July 2026, with a 90-day policy position of no enforcement action to be pursued by the health regulator, is in direct response to feedback from the non-government sector. We understand that there might be, in instances of this bill, unforeseen circumstances that impact nursing availability – examples being a serious resident emergency and temporary staff shortages at the commencement of a shift or other factors impacting nursing availability and medicines at the time – but the bill provides the power to make regulations to prescribe circumstances where that obligation does not apply. There will be further consultation and work done on this. There needs to be a practical implication to the changes and the reforms that are contained within this bill, and there are. But in the end, providing that additional certainty and those additional opportunities for care is something that is very important to the government and is something that was contained in the work that was done time and time again by so many that I mentioned earlier.

What we wish to continue to strive towards is better care and better support for our aged residents, and providing for additional support and certainty within the sector is something that is very, very important to the government. Whether it is aged care, whether it is education, whether it is transport, the work that is done to provide better certainty and better systems – and I know that the member for Frankston works very hard on all of these matters time and time again –

Mathew Hilakari interjected.

Josh BULL: Tirelessly indeed, member for Point Cook.

Mathew Hilakari interjected.

Josh BULL: We might be there soon. What we know, member for Frankston, is that the reforms that are contained within this bill go to –

A member interjected.

Josh BULL: Jeez, we have upgraded – we have got the Deputy Speaker in the house. Things must be getting a bit rowdy. Just keep an eye on the member for Frankston at this sort of time as we –

A member interjected.

Josh BULL: This is a piece of legislation that goes to providing for better aged care right across our community. It is a piece of work that has been extensively consulted on. It is great work by the advisers and the department, and I happily commend the bill to the house.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.