THE Australian Government has extended the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety for an additional six months. The Commission requested an extension to continue hearing evidence from Australians and conduct its deliberations.
As a result the due date of the Commission’s final report has been postponed until the 12 November 2020. An interim report from the Commission will be due at the same date of 31 October 2019.
The Commission will continue to accept submissions until the end of April 2020.
In addition to more time the Commission has also appointed former Federal Court judge Tony Pagone QC as the third Royal Commissioner.
Mr Pagone is a specialist in Taxation Law. He was the first Special Counsel to the Australian Tax Office and has served on several Council Boards that have a focus on social justice such as the Victorian Council of Civil Liberties.
Clearly Mr Pagone has a strong interest in social justice and an impressive CV. It will be interesting to see what he will make of the evidence from the Royal Commission.
The additional time and expertise of Mr Pagone will be beneficial in allowing the Commission to leave no stone unturned.
However, the aged care system could be improved right now. It is not necessary for the Government to wait for the Commission’s final report before acting on obvious issues that plague the aged care sector.
