Labor slams Health Minister Greg Hunt’s ‘disgusting’ excuse for aged care deaths

Labor has accused Health Minister Greg Hunt of suggesting a majority of seniors who died with Covid “were going to die anyway”.

Labor has accused Health Minister Greg Hunt of suggesting a majority of seniors who died with Covid “were going to die anyway” after he repeatedly referenced they were in palliative care.

As the Prime Minister announces $800 bonuses today for federally funded aged care workers, Labor has attacked Mr Hunt’s explanation for rising numbers of Covid deaths in aged care.

Mr Hunt made the point on Monday that the majority of deaths in aged care – 60 per cent – were among a group of elderly residents already receiving palliative care.

The Health Minister also suggested some of those who died may not have been given a booster vaccination at the request of family.

“And I think an important piece of information as well, the latest advice that I have is that approximately 60 per cent of those that have agonisingly passed have been in palliative care,” he said.

Labor has accused Health Minister Greg Hunt of suggesting a majority of seniors who died with Covid ‘were going to die anyway’. Picture: David Crosling/NCA NewsWire

“And so – and Michael is better placed than me to give a view on this – but the notion of those that were in the absolute latest days of their lives, who may have contracted Covid, the definition is that they have passed with Covid, and they are absolutely rightly counted as a national loss.

“But approximately 60 per cent of those that have passed were in palliative care. And approximately 25 per cent of those that have passed were either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. There is a little bit of an overlap, but 60 per cent in palliative care and 25 per cent unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

“But every day we’re fighting, and it is a challenge around the world. And what we’ve seen is that we have one of the lowest rates of loss of life in aged care. But every, every life we fight for.”

Medical workers evacuate a resident from an aged care facility in Melbourne in 2020. Picture: William West/AFP

Asked “Do you accept that?” on ABC television this morning, Labor frontbencher Clare O’Neil said the comments were ”disgusting”.

“I find that disgracefully offensive. I mean, what is Greg Hunt saying that these people were going to die anyway? That is a disgusting comment,” Ms O’Neil said.

“What is the reality here is that this sector was already in crisis, through Omicron, this is the worst crisis this sector has experienced in 40 years.

“Wound management is not being taken care of. Vulnerable people are sitting in soiled pads because there is literally no one to come and help them. People are not getting enough to eat.

“Staff cry to me on the phone and tell me that it’s like a war zone where they are working at the moment.

Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

“The government is in the middle of this crisis – this tells you everything about their priorities – instead of dealing with this crisis, instead of going to the parliament and asking questions about this, the aged care minister Richard Colbeck went to the cricket … he spent not one day at the cricket, but three days at the cricket.”

Unions have lashed the Prime Minister failing to provide rapid antigen tests with aged care staff warning nearly one-in-five staff claim they’ve had to buy their own.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said today if he was elected he would support a permanent wage increase for aged care workers.

“If I was prime minister, we would make a submission to the Fair Work Commission supporting an increase in pay for aged care workers. Yes, we would,” he said.