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senate vote 2020-09-01#6
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2020-09-11 11:44:54
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Title
Motions — Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians; Attempted Censure- Motions - Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians; Attempted Censure - Let a vote happen
Description
<p class="speaker">Penny Wong</p><p>Mr President, I seek leave to move a motion relating to the censure of the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, as circulated in the chamber.</p><p>Leave not granted.</p>- The majority voted against a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2020-09-01.107.2) to suspend the usual procedural rules - known as [standing orders](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/parliament-at-work/standing-orders/) - to let a vote happen.
- ### Motion text
- > *That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Wong) moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion of censure of the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians.*
<p>Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in my name, I move:</p><p class="italic">That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Wong) moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion of censure of the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians.</p><p>This is a motion which goes to the failure of this minister to take responsibility for the devastating crisis in the aged-care sector, which has caused death, grief and untold trauma for vulnerable Australians and their families. We move this motion because ministers are accountable to the parliament. Despite the protection racket being run by Mr Morrison, Senator Colbeck is accountable to this Senate and Senator Colbeck has been found wanting.</p><p>How much grief and loss must be suffered by Australians as a result of the incompetence of this minister? When the incompetence of a minister is measured in the sum of lives lost, when the most vulnerable of our older Australians are the victims of this neglect, when does this chamber say someone must be held accountable? When the consequences for Australian families is the death of a loved one, the consequence for the minister responsible cannot simply be a shrug.</p><p>A government senator interjecting—</p><p>I'll take that interjection. You know what is shameless? His failure to take responsibility and your involvement in the protection racket. That is what is shameless. That is what is shameful. A minister cannot simply about absolve himself of responsibility by shrugging and blaming someone else. He cannot absolve himself of responsibility for death by neglect simply by saying that that is a function of aged care, because the deaths by neglect are a function of the neglect of aged care by this government. $1.7 billion was ripped from aged care by Mr Morrison when he was Treasurer. The situation is so dire that Mr Morrison was forced to call a royal commission into the government's own mismanagement of aged care—a royal commission that summarised this government's care of older Australians in the title of its interim report, <i>Neglect</i>.</p><p>There were warnings from overseas, where aged care was ravaged well before COVID-19 took hold here. There were warnings from experts and unions representing carers. Carers were given one glove and had to choose which hand to put it on. There were warnings from tragedies already experienced in Dorothy Henderson Lodge and Newmarch House in New South Wales. These are warnings that have still not been acted upon by a government that even now has not produced a COVID-19 plan for aged care, despite more than 460 aged care residents, on today's figures, having died. The royal commission has said:</p><p class="italic">Had the Australian government acted upon previous reviews of aged care … the suffering of many people could have been avoided.</p><p>Yet even now this minister ignores the royal commission.</p><p>Yesterday this government made more announcements. Senator Colbeck, like Mr Morrison, loves to list his announcements. But you know what? Announcements don't save lives. It's delivery that matters. It's follow-up that matters. Until Senator Colbeck delivers on the recommendations of the royal commission, the one word which will always come to mind at the sound of this minister's name is 'neglect'. The royal commission has warned Senator Colbeck it will take an additional $620 million per year to improve the aged-care system, and once again this minister ignores yet another warning. He says, 'We'll wait and see what the final report says.' Well, when lives are on the line, when the neglect in the Morrison government's aged-care system is clear, why is this minister putting off until later what he knows older Australians need today?</p><p>Ultimately, this neglect is not just on Senator Colbeck; it's also on Mr Morrison, and we will soon see if it is on every senator opposite. Will they be part of the protection racket Mr Morrison is running for Senator Colbeck? Will they be part of that? The neglect of our most vulnerable older Australians is in Senator Colbeck's name, but it is not just in Senator Colbeck's name; it is in the name of even each and every senator who shields him from accountability. There is no-one on that side who has confidence in this minister anymore. The Senate should do the right thing and censure this minister.</p> <p class="speaker">Mathias Cormann</p><p>Senator Richard Colbeck has worked flat out—absolutely flat out—to do the best he can to ensure that those residents in aged-care facilities across Australia are safe. Listening to the Labor Party, you'd think that somehow there is no pandemic happening anywhere. Listening to the Labor Party, you'd think that all of this is happening in isolation of any context whatsoever. Senators—through you, Mr President—of course every passing of a loved one is tragic. The minister, like every senator in this chamber, of course is deeply empathetic to the grief felt by families who lose a loved one—in particular, in circumstances where they sadly, because of the restrictions that have had to be imposed to keep everybody else in the community safe, pass away on their own. Of course that is tragic, but the reason we have a particular aged-care problem in Victoria is that we have a COVID problem in Victoria. If you look at the—</p> <p class="speaker">Opposition Senators</p><p>Opposition senators interjecting—</p> <p class="speaker">Mathias Cormann</p><p>That is a fact.</p> <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p><p>Senator Cormann, I ask you to resume your seat for a moment. It's not your fault. I cannot hear a word. Your quite loud voice is capable of dominating the chamber. I need to be able to hear the minister. I ask for compliance with the standing orders and if not complete compliance then at least compliance at a level of volume at which I can hear the minister.</p> <p class="speaker">Mathias Cormann</p><p>It might be an inconvenient truth and it might interfere with your base political strategy in this chamber, but it is a fact nevertheless.</p><p class="italic">Senator Wong interjecting—</p><p>Here is Senator Wong using the sad passing of Australians as a political weapon. You should be ashamed of yourself, Senator Wong. As tragic as the passing of any Australian in these circumstances is, in Australia, by any measure, despite what's going on in Victoria, we are in a comparatively better position. I would challenge you to look at what's happening in the United Kingdom, what's happening in the United States and what's happening in a whole range of comparative jurisdictions and compare the performance of our aged-care system with the performance of the aged-care system in other parts of the world.</p><p>Opposition senators interjecting—</p><p>Here again, we get the political attack. How much is alright? Of course we want to absolutely minimise the risk, but to suggest that, in the context of a global pandemic which is costing lives all around the world and which is having a devastating impact all around the world, somehow this minister is to blame because of what is happening in individual aged-care facilities is absolutely and utterly unreasonable. Let me tell you, I have admired Senator Colbeck this fortnight. I have absolutely admired him. He has stood here calmly with his usual compassion and with his usual dedication to the job. He's been directly accountable, he's been answering all of your questions and he's ignored your political provocations.</p><p class="italic">Senator Watt interjecting—</p> <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p><p>Senator Watt!</p> <p class="speaker">Mathias Cormann</p><p>You are here trying to use and abuse the tragedy of individual Australians as a desperate political weapon, and it is a sad reflection not just on Labor senators in this chamber but on the Labor Party under the leadership of Anthony Albanese. You should collectively be ashamed of yourselves. Our government and this minister will continue to do what we have done every single day during this pandemic—that is, make judgements about the best way forward in very difficult circumstances. I've sat there in the ERC as this minister has come forward with measure after measure to strengthen our capacity to respond to what is a very difficult circumstance. You haven't seen that clearly.</p><p>This minister could be walking on water, and you would still be finding reasons to criticise him because he can't swim. The truth is you will try. You've seen an opportunity. There was a clumsy moment captured on television, and the minister has apologised for not having a set of numbers at his fingertips at that time. That is what you have used to pursue a base partisan political campaign. This is not about you genuinely caring about what is right and what is wrong. This is about you pursuing the partisan political interests of the Labor Party, and you should be seriously ashamed of yourselves. On this side of the chamber, we understand that we are dealing with a very serious challenge. We will continue to do the best we can to ensure that all Australians have the best opportunity to get through this period safely. We are sad that some Australians in the context of a global pandemic will sadly—</p> <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p><p>Order, Senator Cormann.</p> <p class="speaker">Kristina Keneally</p><p>Senator Colbeck is not the minister for aged care. He is the minister for walking away. He walked away from this chamber when we were moving our motion the other day. He walked away from a media conference yesterday, refusing to answer questions from the media about the aged-care crisis. He is the minister who walks away from interviews, who walks away from this chamber. Quite frankly, the only place Minister Colbeck should be walking to is back to his office to clear his desk and resign. Too slow, too late: that is this government's response to the COVID-19 crisis in aged care.</p><p>When John Howard was Prime Minister, when there was one kerosene bath incident, what happened to Bronwyn Bishop, the Minister for Aged Care? She was gone. Right now we have evidence from the royal commission that Senator Colbeck has presided over—in fact, it's not just evidence; it is a report from the royal commission into aged care. This minister has presided over a system of what? Neglect. He has presided over a system of neglect—neglect that meant when we had an aged-care crisis hit with COVID-19 he had no plan. Don't take my word for it. Take Gladys Berejiklian's word for it—the Liberal Premier of New South Wales. Don't just take my word for it. Take the royal commission evidence that has made clear that in no way, shape or form was the aged-care system ready for a highly contagious virus that could devastate older Australians. One kerosene bath and the minister was gone under John Howard; 462 deaths, 876 active cases, workers who only have one glove, aged-care residents who have ants in open sores, who are malnourished, who are suffering physical abuse, who have maggots in their mouth—</p><p class="italic">Senator Payne interjecting—</p><p>I will take that interjection from Senator Payne. She said, 'How did that happen?' It is in the royal commission's report titled <i>Neglect</i>. It is clear that the cabinet ministers in this government have not even read the royal commission's report called <i>Neglect</i>.</p><p class="italic">Senator Cormann interjecting—</p><p>The minister didn't just have one clumsy moment, Senator Cormann. He couldn't even remember if he had briefed the cabinet on the royal commission's report called <i>Neglect</i>, so neglectful is he of his responsibilities. But we know that older Australians are being left behind, older Australians are being ignored and older Australians are being neglected by the Morrison government, specifically by this minister, Richard Colbeck.</p><p>I want to say to those people watching at home that, when you hear us talking about the word neglect, it is not a word the Labor Party invented. It is the title of the royal commission's report into aged care that was established by this government.</p><p>Day in and day out, we have seen the minister in this place really puffing himself up. He talked about the high watermark that Australia has achieved—unbelievable! He talked about how 'the system has performed exceptionally well'. Well, it's not exceptionally well if your family member is one of the 462 people who have died, if your family member is one of the over 800 active cases in aged care. How do you think it feels for the son or the daughter to hear the minister and this government gloating about how well it's all going out there, about what a high watermark Australian aged care is? Come on! When is this minister going to take some accountability? Where does the buck stop in this government? All we have heard today is: 'It's the New South Wales government's fault. It's the Victorian government's fault. It's the regulator's fault.' It's anybody's fault but his.</p><p>What we know about this minister for aged care is he follows the example set by his Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who never accepts responsibility, who hates accountability and who is all about the photo-op and the announcement but never about the follow-through. Well, if there was one group of Australians who should have been able to rely on their government to look after them, it is the vulnerable and the precious senior citizens, our elderly who live in residential aged-care homes. They have been failed by this minister, and the Senate should censure this minister for failing to do his job.</p> <p class="speaker">Richard Colbeck</p><p>It's really quite tragic that the Labor Party seeks to play such base politics with what is a complete and utter national tragedy.</p> <p class="speaker">Hon. Senators</p><p>Honourable senators interjecting—</p> <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p><p>Order!</p> <p class="speaker">Richard Colbeck</p><p>As we've indicated, there are 462 Australians—</p> <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p><p>Senator Cormann?</p> <p class='motion-notice motion-notice-truncated'>Long debate text truncated.</p>
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