Improving the quality of care for our elderly and vulnerable is an issue for which I’ve been lobbying for quite some time. 

In May of 2017 I introduced to the Legislative Assembly the Public Health Amendment (Registered Nurses in Nursing Homes) Bill 2016, a bill which aimed at having registered nurses in nursing homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide around the clock care, which our residential care residents need and deserve.

In fact this was enshrined in law from 1972 until 2010.

Despite strong support from the community and health sector, the Nationals-Liberal government voted down the bill in the Legislative Assembly.

In doing so, the Berejiklian-Barilaro government showed us that they just don’t care about aged care. 

I notified NSW Parliament of a case I came across where an elderly nursing home resident was dependent on feeding through a gastronomy tube every three hours.

Since this could only be performed by a registered nurse, and none were working during the nights, the lady was not being fed. Appropriate staffing of a registered nurse could have prevented this.

This is just one example, and I have mentioned others, but they are far too disturbing to detail here. 

After I introduced this bill, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard stated that “as a relatively new” Minister for Health, he wanted to look further at the bill and “not rush it.” He is no longer new, and there are no more excuses. 

The Nationals’ argument for not supporting this vital change has been that the increased expense in employing nurses, rather than less qualified assistants, could lead to smaller nursing homes being forced to shut down. 

This is not the case, but even if it were, is it a good enough reason to have facilities in operation that provide our aged with less-than-adequate care? 

Members of the community I have spoken to have stated their top priority is that their loved ones be safe and well-looked after.

When it comes to care, near enough is not good enough; our most vulnerable have been ignored and forgotten.

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Will the government finally start to care, at least for appearances sake, with the looming election? If history is anything to go by, then perhaps they will. There’s nothing like an election to elicit promises from a nervous government.

Under the shadow of a Royal Commission, aged care will be a key issue in the upcoming State election in March. 

I’m still collecting the required 10,000 signatures to allow me to once again table my concerns about the lack of minimum staffing requirements for registered nurses in nursing homes.

This petition is at my office at 123 Byng Street. I’d welcome you to stop by and sign it. 

I will keep fighting for better standards of care in all residential care facilities. 

In Parliament last week I reminded the government of my commitment to this issue. They tried to silence me when I put onto the public record unsavoury facts that they don’t want you to know, but I won’t be silenced.