Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (13:43) 

I want to address the shameful way Mercy Services have treated the residents of their Singleton nursing home. This closure is not just a failure; it's a complete betrayal of our elderly, their friends and their families. Mercy Services decided to shut this home down with barely any warning, throwing vulnerable residents out like they were nothing. People who have spent their lives in this community—our parents, grandparents and friends—were given eviction notices. Some people were given just 14 days to pack up and leave. That is cruel. That is heartless, and that is totally unacceptable.

Let's be clear: under Australian law, a nursing home must stay open until every resident has found a suitable new home of their choice, but Mercy ignored that. Instead, they pushed people into places they didn't want to go, separated them from their families and left them anxious and afraid. That is not just bad management; that's absolutely disgraceful. From day one I've fought alongside the community against this closure. I spoke with the Minister for Aged Care, joined the community's fight and stood up with families who are furious at this disgusting treatment.

Mercy Services: you should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves. Their actions are a disgrace, and I will keep fighting to make sure that no other community is treated this way. Our elderly deserve better; Singleton deserves better. I will not let this stand. To the board of Mercy Services: you are an absolute disgrace for doing this to your people. You should be ashamed of yourselves. This is not at all acceptable for people anywhere in Australia, let alone Singleton in the Hunter.