Senator SCARR (Queensland) (16:54): Well, what an invitation that was for bipartisanship! We just heard from Senator Polley reflecting on how, in the past, people across the chamber have worked together constructively in a bipartisan manner, and then Senator Polley gets up and gives the speech she just gave. That's hardly an invitation to work together on a bipartisan basis! I have three preliminary points. Firstly, older Australians in this country voted overwhelmingly for the re-election of the coalition government at the last federal election. In my home state of Queensland, older Australians voted overwhelmingly for the re-election of the coalition government. Why? Because this government delivers for older Australians. Secondly, if you wanted to engage constructively on a bipartisan basis with the government in relation to these issues, you would not present a resolution in the nature of this one, which talks about 'inaction', 'cuts' and a 'broken aged-care system'. Broken? Seriously? Does anyone really believe that our aged-care system is broken? It could be better. It could always be better, but broken? The evidence just does not support this assertion. And, lastly, in the spirit of bipartisanship, the reflections on the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator Colbeck, were totally unnecessary. How can you expect to engage constructively in a bipartisan manner after the sort of rhetoric we just heard from Senator Polley? Whenever I hear the Labor Party talk about cuts, whether it be cuts to aged-care services, cuts to education or cuts to health, I always know that, when you look at the figures and you look at the evidence, the evidence will be totally to the contrary. So what is the evidence? Since the coalition government was elected, aged-care spending has increased every single year. That's not a cut; that's an increase. One billion dollars of extra support for older Australians each year on average is not a cut; that's an increase. If the funding is more year on year, that is not a cut. That's an increase. Funding to aged care continues to grow, with our government investing an additional $7 billion in aged care over five years. That's not a cut; that's an increase. The Morrison government is delivering record investment—not cuts!—across the aged-care system over the forward estimates, growing from $13.3 billion in 2012-13 under Labor to $21.7 billion in 2019-20 to an estimated $25.4 billion in 2020-23, and this is characterised as a cut. It's not a cut. Making improvements to aged care for all senior Australians continues to be one of the Morrison government's key priorities. Our recent track record in improving aged care, including since the royal commission was called, is extensive—not inaction, but action. We've invested $2.2 billion since the 2018-19 budget into home care packages to support more Australians to remain living in their own homes for longer. There's been a 25 per cent increase in access to home care packages in just one year. Is this a broken system? Does anyone actually truly believe this is a broken system? If you want to improve the system in the spirit of bipartisanship, maybe you could leave the overblown rhetoric and hyperbole at home, seriously. The federal government has released 14,275 new residential care places, including 13½ thousand residential places and 775 short-term restorative care places; allocated $60 million in capital grants for infrastructure works in rural and remote areas; established a new independent Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission; implemented new consumer focused Aged Care Quality Standards—there are a lot of actions here to read; put in place a new single Charter of Aged Care Rights covering 14 fundamental protections for all aged-care programs from safety, quality care, independence, information, personal privacy, control, fairness and choice; implemented new provider requirements to minimise physical and chemical restraint in residential aged care; and introduced the new National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program. I have a page here of actions, not inaction. The federal government has provided a $320 million boost to residential care subsidies; invested $21 million for 13 research projects that will focus on risk reduction, prevention and tracking of dementia; established a specialist dementia care program; implemented an aged-care diversity framework; expanded the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program by approximately $50 million over four years; provided a capital grant of $20 million to establish a new aged-care service for First Nations people; and provided $4 million to increase aged-care services to people mainly in rural and remote locations through the multipurpose services program. There are more actions—action upon action! The federal government has provided funding of up to $3 million to engage with organisations who assist aged-care providers delivering services under the NATSIFACP to transition to the new aged-care quality standards and allocated grants totalling $3.5 million to aged-care providers delivering aged-care services to Indigenous people to purchase equipment and undertake minor works. It would have been nice to have at least heard one word from those opposite that the government is undertaking action in this sector. If those opposite truly want to engage in this process in a bipartisan fashion then due respect needs to be given to the work that's been done in this area. The federal government has provided an additional $4 million to deliver more-flexible aged-care places, provided an ongoing 30 per cent increase to the viability supplement to support services in rural and remote Australia, provided an ongoing 30 per cent increase to the homeless supplement, giving providers operating residential and home care access to independent business advisory services, and provided $5.6 million in 2019-20 to implement phase 1 of a home care compliance framework. This is what the Labor Party characterises as inaction and cuts. All the evidence is to the contrary. We all know that when the Labor Party accuses a coalition government of cuts all the evidence will be to the contrary. There have been increases year on year in government spending. Let's compare that to the Labor record. In terms of new home care packages, these have increased, not been cut, from 60,308 under Labor in 2012-13 to 125,117 in 2018-19—an increase. It went from 60,308 to 125,117. They're scheduled to increase to a further 157,154 in 2022-23—a 161 per cent increase. Those opposite have absolutely no credibility when they bring to this chamber a resolution which talks about inaction, cuts and a broken aged-care system. The people in our aged-care system, the workers in that system, are working terribly hard. The system is not broken. This government is delivering for our elderly Australians—absolutely delivering for them—and that is why at the last federal election the people in my home state of Queensland gave a resounding tick of approval to the re-election of the coalition government. Debate interrupted.