The army will be called in to provide support when aged care facilities are hit by outbreaks of coronavirus, following outbreaks across the country in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced the Australian Defence Force would be deployed to assist.
Facilities across the country have been hit by outbreaks in recent weeks — with Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley not spared — resulting in rising case numbers in residents and staff.
Shepparton Villages has had all four of its facilities in lockdown at various points during the past few weeks.
A quarter of shifts each week weren’t being covered nation-wide due to COVID-19 isolation requirements or illness, the aged care sector said last week.
Mr Morrison said 10 teams would be set up to enter facilities with just 24 hours’ notice and work with state health departments and public health agencies.
Those teams will include a registered nurse, medical technicians and other personnel.
However, Mr Morrison said the idea the defence force could replace shifts lost to coronavirus exposure or isolation was “not realistic”.
“The defence force are not a surrogate workforce for the aged care sector,” he said.
“When you have large numbers of people taken out of the workforce, that is very hard to deal with and there is no simple answer.”
He said the ADF personnel would be set up to provide targeted support in “extreme situations”.