The aged care royal commission has criticised the Morrison government for failing to establish independent monitoring and reporting of aged care quality outcomes, as the government’s performance during the pandemic dominated the first day of federal parliament since June.
In a statement, the commission said new research showed Australia “could immediately establish independent, transparent, routine monitoring and public reporting of many aspects of aged care quality outcomes similar to leading countriesâ€.
It said reporting could be increased without burdening aged care providers. Commissioners Tony Pagone and Lynelle Briggs said unbiased measurement and reporting of performance was “vital to create accountability and continuous improvement in the aged care sectorâ€.
The commissioners warned that “without it, problems are hidden from sight and not addressedâ€.
“It is unacceptable that in 2020 the aged care system is still without this,†the commissioners said on Monday. “Had the Australian government acted upon previous reviews of aged care, the persistent problems in aged care would have been known much earlier and the suffering of many people could have been avoided.â€