Senator COLBECK (Tasmania—Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians and Minister for Youth and Sport) (14:55): It is quite tragic that Labor seek to try and play politics with the passing of senior Australians in residential aged care. There are about 60,000 Australians who die in residential aged care on an annual basis unfortunately, but that's one of the functions of residential aged care. I don't have statistics on— Opposition senators interjecting— Senator COLBECK: The objective of the Australian aged-care system is to provide all residents in residential aged care with a high quality of care across the nation. That is the focus and the purpose of our residential aged-care system and the regulatory framework that supports it, but, as we know— The PRESIDENT: Order, Senator Colbeck. I have Senator Wong on a point of order. Senator Wong: Direct relevance: I asked this minister how many Australians have died as a consequence of neglect in the context, particularly, if I may say, of the report entitled Neglect handed down by his royal commission. If he's not able to answer the question, could he take it on notice? The PRESIDENT: I'm listening carefully to the minister's answer. In my view, if he is talking about people passing away in aged care, he doesn't have to adopt the terminology or the assumption of the question but he does have to limit himself to that particular topic to be directly relevant. I think he is at the moment but I will listen carefully. Senator Colbeck. Senator COLBECK: As I was saying, we all acknowledge that there are things that need to be improved about the aged-care sector in this country. That's why we're having a royal commission. That's why one of the first acts of this Prime Minister, Prime Minister Morrison, was to call a royal commission. I've heard Labor MPs trotting around this place over the last few days claiming that they supported it when they didn't, including then leader Mr Shorten. Senator Wong: I have a point of order on direct relevance. How many Australians have died in aged care this year as a result of neglect? It is a reasonable question. I'd ask the minister to return to it. The PRESIDENT: Senator Cormann, on the point of order. Senator Cormann: I think that what Senator Colbeck was explaining is that it's not actually a black-and-white question the way Senator Wong is seeking to frame it, and he was making precisely that point. He was addressing very directly that this is not a question that can be answered in the way that Senator Wong is seeking for political reasons. Senator Wong: On the point of order, dismissing a question that goes to facts as not being relevant because it's politics is really not consistent with the standing orders. The PRESIDENT: The motive of a particular question is not for me to make an observation on. There are times to debate it. Senator Wong, I would normally have pulled the minister up on the royal commission issue, but you did raise it in your previous point of order, so I was giving him some discretion to deal with that point that was raised. As I've said before, if the minister is confining his answer to the passing away of people in aged care, then he is being directly relevant. I'm listening carefully, and he seems to be, so I'll call on the minister to continue. Senator Colbeck. Senator COLBECK: Across the country, as I said earlier, there are about 60,000 people who pass away in residential aged care on an annual basis. The whole purpose of our system is to provide a system that is supportive, that provides a high quality of care, and this government clearly has an ambition to improve that quality of care. That's why we're undertaking the process that we're currently undertaking. The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, a supplementary question?