Just two days prior to Christmas 2019, the Government put up on its website that:

"New aged care assessment arrangements will provide streamlined consumer assessment for access to aged care services from April 2021."

Labor has voiced our concerns over the Liberal Morrison Government’s plans. 

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has also issued an extraordinary media release saying it did not make any statements agreeing with the Government’s plans after the Liberal Minister for Aged Care, Senator Richard Colbeck, falsely claimed that the privatisation plan was supported by the Royal Commissioners.
  
Aged care assessment teams are experienced, qualified and well trained and have been making aged care assessments across the country for services provided under the Commonwealth Home Support Program, home care packages and residential aged care.
 
The Liberal Morrison Government should come clean on why it wants to privatise these assessments and outsource this work.  It makes no sense to make this decision before the final report of the Aged Care Royal Commission is released in November this year.
 
Labor has been very clear that while we support the joining up of assessments, currently done by ACATs and Regional Assessment Services (RAS), we do not support the privatisation of the current ACATs around the country. 

Prior to Christmas and this announcement, Labor’s Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors, Julie Collins MP, wrote to the Minister seeking a briefing on combining of the ACAT and RAS.

Labor will continue to hold the Government to account for its mismanagement of aged care services in Australia.