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Federal government should answer questions about aged care staff working across multiple sites: Merlino
By Simone Fox Koob
Acting Premier James Merlino has been asked whether it’s an oversight by the federal government to have allowed aged care workers to work across multiple sites.
“Our workforce, through our policy settings and the financial support for the public sector, we have been able to have 100 per cent of aged care workers [in public aged care homes] in metropolitan Melbourne who are not working across multiple sites. And that’s for a reason. These are high-risk venues,” he said.
Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino.CREDIT:NINE
“The answer is, public aged care is the responsibility of the state government. Private aged care is the responsibility of the federal government.“
“You should raise those questions with the federal government.“
Health Minister Martin Foley said it was not a system unique to Victoria.
“This is a national system that applies across all of the Commonwealth,” he said.
“It doesn’t really matter, to the families and communities and the workforce, which is which. That is why we have established the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre model so as to coordinate that effort. As part of that coordination of effort, we have continually shared issues and priorities with our friends from the Commonwealth and I thank them for their partnership.”
Asked if he was frustrated by the way federal government has allowed them to work across multiple sites, he said: “You are inviting me to be critical of the Commonwealth government in the space. I’m the Minister for Health, I know how the virus reacts and it doesn’t make a distinction between Commonwealth and State facilities. My job is to keep Victorians safe, especially in those high-risk settings.
“I will resist the temptation to be critical of the Commonwealth. I will work cooperatively with them every chance I get to get ahead of this.”