Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his government's spending on aged care as he continues to face pressure over coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes.
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Labor used parliament's question time on Wednesday to accuse the government of undermining the sector's ability to respond to the virus by cutting aged care funding by $1.7 billion.
The savings were outlined in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 budgets, with the latter outlining a $1.2 billion savings by refining aged care funding.
Mr Morrison - who was the treasurer behind those budgets - denies it was a cut.
"Our government has continued to increase funding in aged care every year," he said, putting the figure at $1 billion extra annually.
The prime minister has flagged further funds in the forthcoming October budget.
Labor is calling for the Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck's scalp after he was unable to tell a Senate inquiry how many residents had died in aged care facilities.
The opposition is attempting to force the minister to make a statement to the Senate on Thursday outlining his handling of the portfolio during the pandemic.
Mr Morrison recently mapped out a plan with state and territory leaders on when aged care emergency response centres can be triggered.
They will pop up across the country should coronavirus case numbers increase.
A response centre has already been established in Victoria, where hundreds of nursing home residents have died from coronavirus.
State or federal governments can stand up other centres.
"The trigger for that is the medical evidence, the state of the pandemic, should it escalate to the level or move towards the level we've seen in Victoria," the prime minister said.
The NSW and Queensland governments are most alert to the need as they both handle a handful of virus clusters.
Labor says the centres should be launched as a pre-emptive measure.
The federal government is facing ongoing scrutiny of its response to aged care outbreaks in Victoria.
Mr Morrison has launched a scathing attack on Victoria to deflect responsibility, putting the blame on the state's hotel quarantine, testing and tracing systems.
He has also tried to alleviate concerns by arguing Australia has done better in regards to aged care virus outbreaks compared to other countries.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says he was shocked Mr Morrison argued 97 per cent of aged care facilities have had no infections.
"It is a heartless comment," he told the Seven Network.
"These people are saying goodbye to their loved ones on FaceTime. And they deserve better than just the prime minister saying that 97 per cent is okay."
Australian Associated Press
