Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:42): With an ageing population, the last thing Victoria needs is for the private and not-for-profit aged care sector to collapse in Victoria. Tens of thousands of Victorians rely on the support and care that so many provide through these facilities, and tens of thousands of Victorians want to have the ability to choose how they can support their elderly parents and loved ones. Lou Pascuzzi, CEO of TLC, last week called it as it is, saying that policy decisions by both federal and state governments are putting more and more pressure on the sector. That includes the Andrews–Allan government’s decision to increase payroll tax to private aged care facilities. Forty-seven per cent of aged care facilities in Victoria are privately run. What happens if they close their doors? The not-for-profit and public aged care facilities are not without problems. As Robert Gottliebsen says in today’s Australian:

Not-for-profit organisations and those under government ownership might not pay payroll tax but often have deep problems because aged care is emerging as an industry that is like infrastructure and requires substantial capital investment to make it work.

The Andrews–Allan government just does not get it. For our state to have the services to support some of our most vulnerable we must have a robust public system as well as a robust private system, yet time and time again we see this government demonising the private sector. Let us not forget what Daniel Andrews said:

I would not let my mum be in some of these places. I just wouldn’t.

Daniel Andrews, stop your nasty, divisive commentary on the private sector – whether it is independent schools, businesses or the aged care sector – and provide the support to these hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Victorians and their families and reverse the payroll tax hikes to aged care.