Senator McLUCAS —My question is to Senator Newman, the Minister representing the Minister for Aged Care. Can the minister confirm how much money residents paid to the Alimar Nursing Home in Melbourne, through the government's $12 a day accommodation charge, prior to the home's closure in January this year? Can the minister guarantee that this money was spent on capital improvements to the home? Can the minister confirm how much money the Commonwealth paid to the Alimar Nursing Home through the concessional resident supplement? Can the minister guarantee that this money was spent on capital improvements to the home?

Senator NEWMAN (Family and Community Services; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —As the minister representing the minister who represents the Minister for Aged Care, I will be happy to try to get you some more detail other than what is in the brief which I have been provided with already. I do think it is a pity that the more senior members of the opposition have not given a briefing to the newer members on areas of policy on which their party is very vulnerable because of their performance while in government. If ever there was such an area, it is this: nursing homes run down, in a terrible state, with Professor Bob Gregory doing a report commissioned by the Labor government as to what needed to be done. How many billions of dollars of expenditure was it? Something like $6 billion? I forget the exact figure but it was a huge figure that needed spending to restore nursing homes in Australia to an acceptable standard for older Australians: safety, fire and all those areas that most of us would want covered very well if it was a case of either ourselves or our parents being in those nursing homes.

So, Senator, I am sorry you have not received an adequate brief on your own party's failures. Alimar was a Melbourne home which closed voluntarily this year after a long history of poor care and financial sanctions imposed by the government—but under Labor. It is very typical of what your party turned a blind eye to for a decade: poor quality care, poor providers operating with impunity. That is not to say that is the majority of operators by any means; the majority of homes do deliver excellent care. But our government, unlike the Labor government, will not tolerate the minority who are poor operators. Older Australians deserve better.

I might say that the industry also deserves a better image. Most of the industry is very concerned to ensure that the image of the industry is improved and they support the measures that the government has introduced. We have introduced a new accreditation system, accountability, recognition of excellence and strong action for poor performers. These reform measures of our government, Senator, have got strong support from industry groups and consumers.

I am also pleased to have support from the Australian Democrats—Senators Allison and Woodley. These Democrats are on the record as having said it is a huge step forward. And it highlights the hypocrisy of the Labor Party, who had 13 years in government, were told what needed doing in chapter and verse, well publicised to the nation—Professor Gregory told them authoritatively what they needed to do. That was in about 1994. They had two to three years—in the latter years of their government when they were falling into this policy-free area—to do something important for the older people in Australia, and they failed.

Senator Evans has also been quoted as criticising the system because there is not yet any direct obligation for providers to use the accommodation charges for capital works. I guess this goes somewhat to the area that the senator wanted to hear some details on. Can I say about Senator Evans's comments: what breathtaking hypocrisy! The very thing that he has called for is in an amendment bill that is before the Senate, a bill that has been blocked by the ALP for months. There is no good reason to block it—it only increases residents' protections and it is strongly supported by consumer groups. So why is the ALP playing politics on this again? It is just blatant obstructionism—no ideas, no policy, whingeing, negative and now hypocrisy with criticism about this matter. It is outrageous. (Time expired)

Senator McLUCAS —Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. Isn't it true that, under the Howard government's failed aged care policies, the Alimar Nursing Home was under no obligation to spend one dollar of these funds on capital improvement and that in this case the provider simply pocketed residents' and taxpayers' dollars before fleeing the industry?

Senator NEWMAN (Family and Community Services; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —I do not think the senator was listening. I just said that her party is obstructing and blocking a piece of legislation which will provide that sort of protection for older people and do the job that she is wanting done.