HEALTH and Aged Care Minister Sussan Ley will remain the voice of older people in Malcolm Turnbull’s new-look Cabinet.
Seniors groups have welcomed Ms Ley’s continuing presence on the frontbench.
Aged care, health and retirement incomes, including changes to superannuation, are set to be significant areas of negotiation when parliament returns on August 30.
Cabinet roles remain largely unchanged in the other key portfolios affecting seniors, including Treasury (Scott Morrison), Social Services (Christian Porter) and Employment (Michaelia Cash). Ms Ley said her focus would be on protecting the future and accessibility of Medicare and tackling chronic disease through the Health Care Homes initiative announced in the May budget.
“This work will continue to be complemented by integrated reforms to mental health, medicines, hospital funding, rural health, aged care, dental, private health insurance, vaccinations, sports participation and preventative health,” she said.
Council on the Ageing chief executive Ian Yates said the continuity of roles should be a positive in the push for continuing aged care reform in line with the Aged Care Roadmap released earlier this year.
He urged the government to go ahead with superannuation reforms, which had been a contentious issue during and since the election. In the lead-up to Mr Turnbull’s ministry announcement, Coalition Senator Eric Abetz described the election result as “a big kick up the pants” largely due to concern over superannuation changes announced in May.
He said the plan for a $500,000 lifetime cap on after-tax contributions was a major concern.
West Australian Liberal Senator Chris Back said voters told him they had not supported the party in the Senate in the hope that superannuation changes would be blocked.
