Rebekha Sharkie welcomes Labor’s aged-care policy it ‘borrowed’ from her

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has made a key aged-care election promise that sounds like a Bill Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie proposed six months ago.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has been criticised for taking six months to back crucial reforms to in-home aged care, instead “borrowing” a key policy from Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie.

Mr Albanese made an election promise on Sunday night to enforce a cap on how much elderly people can be charged in administration and management fees to receive care in their own homes.

The policy was a key pillar of a bill introduced by Ms Sharkie in October last year and a major election issue for the Centre Alliance MP.

On Monday, Ms Sharkie said she backed the move by Labor, but it didn’t go far enough.

“Good policy is good policy – even if it was borrowed from a Private Members Bill I introduced six months ago,” she said.

“While I welcome Labor’s pledge, they have had plenty of opportunities to support the legislation that I introduced … to help vulnerable Australians get the help they desperately need faster.”

Rebekha Sharkie has been pushing for a cap on in-home aged-care fees for six months. Picture Kym Smith

Ms Sharkie would not be drawn on whether she would support Labor in the event of a hung parliament this year, declaring she would “faithfully” represent her electorate above all else.

Ms Sharkie’s aged-care Bill, which remains stuck in the lower house, would also ban “exit fees” that providers use to slug the elderly if they decide to receive in-home care from another provider.

The Bill would also require providers to offer potential clients with a table comparing fees for at least five other providers in the area.

In January, The Advertiser revealed South Australian in-home aged-care providers were slugging the elderly up to $1000 a fortnight just in administration and management fees.

While Mr Albanese did not specify the exact level of his proposed fee cap, Ms Sharkie’s Bill would ensure providers could not charge more than 25 per cent in the ambiguous fees.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese promised to cap the level of admin fees in-home aged care providers can charge the elderly. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

A Labor spokesman said its new policy was “based upon evidence provided to the Royal Commission and the many conversations we’ve had with Home Care recipients and aged care consumer advocates”.

Independent SA senator Rex Patrick issued a scathing assessment of both Labor and the federal government for “teaming up” to defer a vote on key aged-care reforms in response to the Royal Commission until after the election.

“This is a betrayal of elderly Australians and their families,” Senator Patrick said.

[e-mail]