News Service from House Harris

Fed: Hundreds of alleged sex attacks and assaults in nursing homes: report

CANBERRA, Nov 25 AAP - Hundreds of nursing home residents were allegedly victims of sex attacks and assaults this year.

There were 925 alleged reportable assaults in the year to June, including 200 alleged sex attacks and a further 725 reports of alleged unreasonable force.

NSW had the highest number of alleged serious physical assaults (275), while Victoria had the most sexual assault complaints (72).

There were 1,117 cases of alleged abuse.

The figures, contained in a report on the operation of aged care laws, are of allegations only and departmental investigators did not track whether or not the police laid charges.

Greg Mundy, of Aged and Community Services Australia, said most of his organisation's members in the not-for-profit sector would report everything that might be relevant so they were not accused of covering anything up.

He said the figures were useless without knowing how many of the alleged assaults resulted in criminal charges.

There were 930 breaches of the act, most of them relating to Victorian aged care providers.

The Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme (CIS) received 11,323 complaints in the year to June, of which two thirds were investigated as they related to aged care providers' responsibilities under the aged care law.

Most complaints related to health and personal care (3,106), followed by physical environment (1,598), consultation and communication (1,496), staff (1,255).

Some 1,117 complaints to the CIS related to alleged abuse.

About 300,000 Australians received a form of aged and community care.

Ageing Minister Justine Elliot said the government would invest more than $41.6 billion over the next four years into aged and community care.