Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:31): My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers and relates, I am sorry to say, to the appalling scaremongering by the member for Bass about the Millhaven Lodge aged-care facility in Pakenham. A newspaper story today noted that Millhaven Lodge’s grocery order was cancelled by Woolworths. Rather than looking into the truth of the situation, the member for Bass leapt at the opportunity to attack the federal government and in particular the member for La Trobe over the issue. At a time when our communities rightly expect politicians of all sides to pull together, the member’s political pointscoring attempt to attack the federal government is shameful. And the facts were wrong too. She claimed residents had no food and that the situation ‘will no doubt be happening elsewhere’. In fact that is totally untrue, as a moment’s research could have told her.

This political grandstanding instinct is pathetic at the best of times, but at moments like this it is genuinely dangerous. There was food available. The aged-care facility sourced plenty of food for the facility. So I ask the minister to speak to her colleagues to outline state and federal responsibilities and to remind them that political games can have real-life consequences and that sowing panic in our community is deeply irresponsible. The further action I seek is to ask the minister to apologise to the elderly citizens in our community, the member for La Trobe, the aged-care facility in question and all those who have been frightened by this scaremongering behaviour.