Royal Commission Update Sept/Oct

On Friday, September 13 the Australian Government announced that the Royal Commission into Aged Care has been extended for another six months.

The Commission, which began in October 2018, will now finish in March 2020.

Along with this news, the Government also announced the appointment of an additional Commissioner in the Honourable Tony Pagone QC.

Mr Pagone will join Commissioners Richard Tracey and Lynelle Briggs; he is a former Federal Court Judge who retired last year and has a strong interest in social justice.

The six month Royal Commission extension will allow Commissioners to continue to hear evidence from Australians working and living in aged care.

Hearings have now taken place all over Australia and this extension will allow the Commission to hear evidence on new issues as they arise.

The interim report from the Commission will still be released in October 2019.

The most recent Royal Commission hearings were held in Melbourne and focussed on younger people in aged care.

The hearings deliberated on whether aged care was an appropriate place for younger people to live; especially those with disabilities and heard case studies of young people who are living in aged care or have previously lived in aged care.

The Commission also heard about the special challenges that younger people face in getting appropriate care and accommodation in the community.

October hearings will take place in Melbourne and focus on the Aged Care workforce. Then in November they move to Mudgee, NSW to talk about the provision of aged care in regional areas, before starting in Hobart in mid-November to highlight the aged care operations of selected aged care providers.

We look forward to the conclusion of the Royal Commission in March 2020, and welcoming positive changes to the industry which will improve care outcomes for all

If you would like any information regarding the Royal Commission or Hall & Prior’s submission, please email royalcommissionenquiries@hallprior.com.au