Released: 1 November 2017

The Turnbull Government today announced an expert taskforce to develop a wide-ranging workforce strategy, focused on supporting safe, quality aged care for senior Australians.

The Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt AM, said the work of the taskforce would be inclusive, with exhaustive national consultation.

“Everything is on the table but there are only two things that matter, safety and quality,” Minister Wyatt said.

“The Taskforce will reach out to senior Australians and their families, consumer organisations, informal carers, aged care workers and volunteers.

“It will also consult with many others including unions, health professionals, universities and the health, education, employment and disability sectors.”

The Taskforce will be led by Professor John Pollaers and will reference the June 2017 report of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the future of the aged care sector workforce, the workforce-related observations in the government commissioned Legislated Review of Aged Care 2017 and the recently released Review of National Aged Care Quality Regulatory Processes.

Read more:

New aged care workforce taskforce to focus on safety and quality (.pdf)