Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 and another

The majority voted in favour of part (a) of the amendment on sheet 3426, which means it succeeded. The amendment changes the text of the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). While motions like these do not have any legal force, they are politically influential because they represent the will of the Senate.

Amendment text

At the end of the motion, add “, but the Senate:

(a) notes that:

(i) the Albanese Labor Government promised to deliver 83,000 new home care places for older Australians, but to date has delivered zero,

(ii) 87,597 older Australians are currently waiting on the National Priority System for a home care place they have been assessed as needing,

(iii) 121,596 older Australians are waiting to be assessed for a home care place,

(iv) as a result, more than 200,000 vulnerable Australians and their families are still waiting for either a home care place or an assessment for a home care place,

(v) almost 5,000 vulnerable Australians have died in the past year while on the waiting list for a home care place,

(vi) the most vulnerable Australians are now waiting up to 15 months for access to a home care place they have been assessed as needing, compared to 3 to 6 months under the former Coalition Government, and

(vii) the aged care sector is ready to deliver home care places, despite the Minister falsely blaming the sector for the Government’s failures; and ...