Dr Tristan Ewins
Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has come under fire
from the Conservative Coalition Government for suggesting on the ABC’s ‘Insiders’
program that extra funding may be made available for Aged Care, Health, and
perhaps welfare reform. This in a context where billions of subsidies have been
provided to businesses due to Covid, and yet many businesses who managed to
remain profitable regardless of Covid have simply kept these subsidies provided
for them in the form of pure profit.
While the Federal Government ruthlessly pursues welfare recipients over
any debts incurred (and even some that have turned out to be unreal), corporations
enjoy public money without accountability.
The simple fact is that public spending commitments in
social services and infrastructure are not necessarily ‘irresponsible’ or ‘wasteful’. Often Government needs to invest in the
health and happiness of the people to ensure the best outcomes. What needs to be understood is that social
spending is a form of ‘collective consumption’ where we gain a better deal in
areas like health by purchasing crucial services more efficiently and collectively
as taxpayers, rather than being isolated and fleeced as private consumers. Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme are important examples of collective consumption.
Albanese has spoken of the “habitual
buck passing” of the Morrison Government on Aged Care. Failure to attract new workers into the field
with fair wages and conditions, and respect for workers ; and failure to ensure
necessary staffing levels including the presence of Registered Nurses – remain sore
points even after the Conservatives’ response to the Aged Care Royal
Commission. The training, wages and
conditions of Personal Care workers who help many elderly remain in the
community are also in need of further funding ; and packages must be available
to all with the need upon demand ; and without cruel waiting queues.
The reality also is that Aged Care reform needs to go beyond
the bare essentials to address broader quality of life issues ; so that in the
future Aged Australians with have access to social engagement ; and where those
in residential care will enjoy privacy, access to information technology,
access to gardens and pleasant surrounds.
They must not just be locked in their rooms or sat down in front of TVs
in common rooms all day. Our vulnerable
elderly need social engagement. Everything from discussing their lives to
enjoying games, listening to music, or discussing the issues of the day. Dementia training is also essential to ensure
the best quality of life to those affected ; and those around them. Quality of food also needs to be monitored
closely ; and without meeting staff quota targets, Aged Care workers will
remain rushed in the business of helping to dress and shower residents daily ; or
may not be able to respond in a timely manner to situations such as where
sheets are soiled. The consequences of
under-resourcing have been trauma and suffering for vulnerable aged
Australians.
Yes this will cost billions on top of those limited
initiatives already announced. But most
of us will grow elderly and frail one day ; and even if ourselves we do not experience
this, surely we will have family who are affected by a neglected Aged Care
sector. Rather than backing down, Albanese
needs to ‘step up to the plate’ and confidently put the case for progressive
collective consumption of Aged Care ; and a much better deal for both ‘consumers’
and for workers in the broader Health sector.
There will also be a significant backlog in waiting lists
for supposedly ‘elective’ hospital procedures thanks to the pressure Covid has
placed the health system under. This was
already a crisis ; but has been significantly magnified with Covid. Medicare needs to be extended into dental,
optical and prosthetics ; but the broader health system needs to be expanded to
ensure timely care, breadth of coverage and quality of care.
Australian of the Year, tennis star Dylan Alcott has also
highlighted the high
unemployment levels (over 50 per cent) for disabled Australians. The focus here was mainly on those with
physical disability ; but exclusion from the labour market also applies to those
with psycho-social disabilities.
Exclusion is a vicious circle which needs to be broken. Sometimes it goes on for years. Often it is
permanent. Government needs to intervene
directly to provide opportunity for all ; and employment needs to be made more
viable by lessening means tests for Pensioners in the workforce. Also there need to be viable career paths,
and not merely ‘dead end jobs’.
Importantly, Labor needs to pitch to ‘average’ workers as well. Labor needs to pitch to the majority to enjoy electoral success ; and provision for equity groups alone will not win government. Delivering wage gains and improving the
bargaining position of average workers in the labour market is important
here. As is a restructuring of the
broader tax system: delivering distributive justice outcomes not only for the
most vulnerable, but also the majority of workers. Further ; improvement of the Aged Pension could
act as a ‘bridge’ which enhances the case for reform of other pensions. Labor
needs to build a ‘bloc’ based on solidarity and mutual recognition rather than
allowing the Coalition to ‘Divide and Rule’ – which so often has been the case.
So come on Albo, ‘step up to the plate’. A ‘small target’ can take us so far ; but as
the campaign progresses voters will want a clearer sense of what Labor is going
to do. Labor will need to have answers. And it must not ‘back itself into a corner’
where it cannot deliver significantly to its constituents. Early signs suggest some hope.
