Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells says the Commonwealth and NT Government will work together to address a shortage of aged care beds in the Territory

Transcript

Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells says the Commonwealth and NT Government will work together to address a shortage of aged care beds in the Territory · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well. The federal Minister for Aged Care and also Sport
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: has paid a visit to workers and residents at the
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  Speaker 1: Terrace Gardens age care facility in Palmerston following investment in
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  Speaker 1: the budget to give age care workers a much needed
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  Speaker 1: pay rise, and the Minister for Aged Care joins me
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  Speaker 1: on the line right now, Anika Wells, good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning Katie Minister, thanks so much for your time.
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  Speaker 1: What have workers told you in regards to your visit
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  Speaker 1: while you've been here and out visiting those facilities?
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  Speaker 2: They are wonderful human beings. A lot of them have
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  Speaker 2: worked at that particular facility for thirty two years was
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  Speaker 2: the record, I think one lady named Josie, but seven years,
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  Speaker 2: ten years, Twelvey is and that speaks to obviously really
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  Speaker 2: positive culture that Wendy and the team have there. And
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  Speaker 2: I think what they wanted to tell me when I
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  Speaker 2: said what homework have you got for me as your
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  Speaker 2: Aged Care minister, is thank you for the pay rise.
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  Speaker 2: It's long awaited and much needed because what they need
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  Speaker 2: are more staff, more care, more nurses like them to
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  Speaker 2: provide the care that they need to stop the workforce
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  Speaker 2: shortages that you know we see across the country, but
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  Speaker 2: they experience being more than on their days off, you know,
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  Speaker 2: to fill in those ships.
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  Speaker 1: Oh absolutely, and I think that here in the territory,
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  Speaker 1: you know, post COVID, we've had some real issues when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to staffing levels right across the sector. But
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  Speaker 1: it is good to see that there's been that increase.
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  Speaker 1: How much are we talking when we talk about that
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  Speaker 1: pay rice.
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  Speaker 2: It's a fifteen percent pay rise to the award, which
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  Speaker 2: means if you are a Territorian who is a personal
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  Speaker 2: care that's one hundred and forty bucks extra a week
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  Speaker 2: for you, or seven thousand a year. If you're a
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  Speaker 2: Territorian who is a registered nurse, it's up to two
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  Speaker 2: hundred dollars a week extra or ten grandy Here now, Minister,
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  Speaker 2: we know it's life changing money.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, it does make a huge difference. But we
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  Speaker 1: know that when we talk about aged care in the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory there is a critical shortage of age care beds.
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  Speaker 1: We hear quite often from families whose loved ones do
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  Speaker 1: need a spot in an aged care bed. Is this
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  Speaker 1: is something that was also raised with you.
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  Speaker 2: It was raised with me by your Chief Minister yesterday
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  Speaker 2: and other important stuff on my itinerary is how we
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  Speaker 2: could work together to fix some of these shortages. So
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  Speaker 2: obviously bedlocking is a big issue for the NT like
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  Speaker 2: it is for many other state governments at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: and there's a couple of things we can do by
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  Speaker 2: working together across the state and federal jurisdictions that might
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  Speaker 2: be able to get more beds, build more beds in
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  Speaker 2: the territory that would allow us to ease those pressures.
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  Speaker 2: Because we know when things are terrible in the acute
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  Speaker 2: section of health, that makes it harder for people in
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  Speaker 2: the age care section of health as well.
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  Speaker 1: So are there plans afoot for an increased number of
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  Speaker 1: beds or even changes when it comes to some of
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  Speaker 1: that at home care.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, well, on both those fronts, Katie Well observed, we
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  Speaker 2: have there's money in the budget for and there's thirty
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  Speaker 2: two billion dollars in the federal budget for age cares
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  Speaker 2: and unprecedented, it's an enormous amount. Some of that money
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  Speaker 2: will go to a structural adjustment fund, which is where
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  Speaker 2: we help in cases where there is great need and
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  Speaker 2: sort of public utility, we help build facilities and put
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  Speaker 2: more beds into places where they're needed. But that's something
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  Speaker 2: that I talked about with the Chief Minister yesterday and
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  Speaker 2: we are, like you say, regearing our entire home care system.
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  Speaker 2: The support at home system is what it's called, because
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  Speaker 2: we know that people want to stay at home for
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  Speaker 2: as long as possible, and that's what we need to
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  Speaker 2: regear our age care system to do it. Because baby
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  Speaker 2: Boomhamers are going to enter this system from next year
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  Speaker 2: on the census data and the trend, and the system
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  Speaker 2: just needs to be much better prepared to accommodate them
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  Speaker 2: and their wishes.
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  Speaker 1: So how soon do you reckon we're going to see
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  Speaker 1: some sort of positive change in that space. I know
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  Speaker 1: that you said sort from next year, but do you
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  Speaker 1: think that Territorians will start to see that change that quickly?
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  Speaker 2: Well, it depends upon the occupancy of where you are. Obviously,
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  Speaker 2: into Territorians, you've got regional areas, rural areas, You've got
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  Speaker 2: your townships as well, so it really depends on where
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  Speaker 2: you are how fuss you will see it. I think
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  Speaker 2: what I can say to you is there's never been
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  Speaker 2: more money put towards fixing the crisis in aged care.
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  Speaker 2: That will take time to wash through, but you've never
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  Speaker 2: had a more federal government with more impetus and urgency
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  Speaker 2: around fixing it. And I must say I really like
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  Speaker 2: the chiefiness yesterday. I think we're going to have a
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  Speaker 2: good working relationship and that will pay dividends.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you know we as I say, we
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  Speaker 1: hear quite often from senior territorians or families who've got
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  Speaker 1: a loved one who's maybe in a situation where they
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  Speaker 1: can't get a long term spot for them in aged care,
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  Speaker 1: or they do want to stay at home but they're
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  Speaker 1: not able to get the support services that they require.
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  Speaker 1: So I think that any positive movements we see in
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  Speaker 1: this space will hopefully be a good thing. Now, Minister,
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  Speaker 1: I know you also have the portfolio of sport, certainly
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  Speaker 1: my favorite area. I understand that you've had some meetings.
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  Speaker 1: I know you've had some that during your time in
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  Speaker 1: the Top End. Well, any investment that we can expect
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  Speaker 1: to see on the cards for any of our sporting facilities.
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  Speaker 1: We know that basketball is making a huge search. We
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  Speaker 1: love our AFL, We love everything really any sports in
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  Speaker 1: the Top end or right around the territory.
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  Speaker 2: It's hard to single out a favorite sport, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's my most dreaded question that I get
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  Speaker 2: asked the Sports Minister. I have been working with the
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  Speaker 2: AFL about some of the things that we can do
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  Speaker 2: to improve footing for territoriums here. I think we'll have
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  Speaker 2: more to stay on that soon. What I'm doing today
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  Speaker 2: here in particular, I'm on my way out now to
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  Speaker 2: drive a primary school to celebrate the fifteen million student
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  Speaker 2: in our sporting schools programs. This is free sport for kids,
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  Speaker 2: and we're celebrating the fifteenth million student to benefit from
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  Speaker 2: the program. There's more money. We've put nearly eighty million
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  Speaker 2: dollars into the budget to make sure that in this
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  Speaker 2: cost of living crisis, kids can still access free sport
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  Speaker 2: in their schools. And you know, Katie, I also get
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  Speaker 2: to sit on the Olympics organizing committee for twenty thirty two.
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  Speaker 2: The average age of and Olympian is twenty three, which
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  Speaker 2: means that the kids that will be our twenty thirty
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  Speaker 2: two Olympias and Paralympians are in school now. There's territory
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  Speaker 2: and school kids today, so we've got to prepare them.
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  Speaker 2: And I love going out to see them and to
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  Speaker 2: ask them what they want from me. Get their homework.
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  Speaker 1: Well, i'll tell you what, I think there's going to
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  Speaker 1: be a lot of excited young Aussies as the Olympics
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  Speaker 1: near closer. Just before I let you go though, on
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  Speaker 1: that AFL, we know that there's been quite a bit
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  Speaker 1: of talk about bush footy, particularly with some concerns around
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  Speaker 1: the Central Australian Football League and you know the Alice
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  Speaker 1: Springstown Council originally not allowing some of those games to
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  Speaker 1: go ahead due to the social issues that we've seen
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  Speaker 1: in Central Australia. But the concern really is that in
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  Speaker 1: some of those communities you're talking about playing games of
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  Speaker 1: footy on dersh is there going to be any investment
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  Speaker 1: in that space?
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  Speaker 2: Look, well assessed, Katie, exactly what the Chief Minister put
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  Speaker 2: to me and what we sort of talked through yesterday
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  Speaker 2: in our meeting. Like I said, I've got homework to
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  Speaker 2: take away to my colleague, the Federal in Sustruction Minister
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  Speaker 2: Catherine King. I'll see her next week when they're both
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  Speaker 2: back in Canberra, and like I say, I hope hopefully
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  Speaker 2: I will have more for you ses.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Minister, we really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks
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  Speaker 1: so much for having a quick chat.
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  Speaker 2: With us such a pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: I have a good morning you too,