Penny Allman-Payne

Older people have been saying this for months. Labor's automation of aged care assessments has been a disaster, under-assessing need and priority, denying care and driving up waitlists. It's past time to bin the whole thing and put humans back in charge of decision-making.

If you're following events in Parliament House you'll know that Senate estimates hearings are happening this week. Sadly, I won’t be able to participate this time. My husband Darin is recovering from a serious health condition and will require care while he gets back on his feet.

Family must come first, but naturally I’m disappointed I won’t be there. Estimates is an essential accountability mechanism and I was looking forward to getting some answers on aged care assessments, Centrelink payment suspensions, private school accountability and much more.

Today the Greens put up our amendment to the government’s escalation pathway bill to finally put clinical human override back in aged care assessments. It was very disappointing to see the Coalition fold, and side with the government to defeat our amendment, and pass this half-measure unchanged.

Our amendment was an opportunity to use the leverage of the Senate to secure human override and deliver fair outcomes for older Australians. But the Coalition folded, and voted with the government on this, even though they recognised in debate on the bill that “it does nothing to fix the problem”.

Today the Greens put up our amendment to the government’s escalation pathway bill to finally put clinical human override back in aged care assessments. It was very disappointing to see the Coalition fold, and side with the government to defeat our amendment, and pass this half-measure unchanged.

This Anti-Poverty Week, remember: poverty isn't an accident, it's a policy choice - and it's getting worse under Labor. Nearly 4 million Australians live in poverty, including one in six children. That's 757,000 kids robbed of safety and security & facing a battle for survival.

The government could choose to end poverty. It's not a question of money, it's a question of political commitment. And it's clear Labor doesn't have it.

This Anti-Poverty Week, remember: poverty isn't an accident, it's a policy choice - and it's getting worse under Labor. Nearly 4 million Australians live in poverty, including one in six children. That's 757,000 kids robbed of safety and security & facing a battle for survival.

Labor’s home care co-payments have forced older people off essential supports, but it’s even crueller for Stolen Generations survivors whose redress payments are means tested. This injustice can’t continue. Labor should back the Greens push to exempt redress from means testing.

What does the inequality crisis look like? This 👇 98% of public schools are underfunded – that’s 2.6 million kids without the resources they need for the education they deserve. Yet the richest private schools are charging massive fees while banking billions of public dollars.

The funding model is failing our kids. Australia has one of the most segregated and privatised school systems in the OECD. Instead of giving every kid the chance to thrive we’re entrenching privilege and worsening inequality.

What does the inequality crisis look like? This 👇 98% of public schools are underfunded – that’s 2.6 million kids without the resources they need for the education they deserve. Yet the richest private schools are charging massive fees while banking billions of public dollars.

Louise is 71, on the pension, and terrified of her next rent rise. Her story is one I hear from older Queenslanders all the time. If you live alone, the pension doesn't cover living costs. No income support payment does.

After years of lower pay and unpaid caring, women often retire with less super than men, so that means they're more likely to end up couch-surfing or sleeping in their cars. If Louise's rent goes up again, she doesn't know where she'll go.

Deidre's husband waited months for a special chair he desperately needed. It arrived two weeks after he died. Labor's aged care reforms are a disaster: blowing out waitlists, denying care and forcing people off supports. Growing old should be a joy, not a struggle for survival.

In 2022 Labor promised to scrap compulsory income control. They lied. Now they've extended it INDEFINITELY on the quiet. The Greens tried to undo this in the Senate last week but Labor and the LNP blocked us. I'm chairing a hearing tomorrow where I'll be demanding some answers.

For almost a year now we’ve listened to the Aged Care minister defend the broken home support assessment system. Now we learn he wasn't briefed on the tool depriving clinicians of oversight until three days before the changes took effect.

There are massive culture problems at some of our most elite private schools. So many reports of misogyny, harassment & abuse - yet despite the millions they get in public funding, school leadership is rarely held accountable. We can't keep letting them play by their own rules.

I raised concerns with the Education Minister that Marist College Ashgrove in Brisbane appeared to be in breach of its obligations under the Education Act. He confirmed to me last week in correspondence that his department has launched an investigation.