Australia’s Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has defended the new star rating system for nursing homes against criticism it should be pulled down, accusing the coalition of trying to undermine transparency and drag the sector back into darkness.
The opposition says the information being used for the rating tool is out-of-date and has caused distress for older Australians.
The system ranks aged care providers from one to five, with providers given a three-star rating considered acceptable, four stars listed as good, and two as needing improvement.
Wells lashed the coalition over its criticism, saying they would not know transparency if “they looked through a window” and saying the opposition was trying to take the sector back “into darkness.”…