Derryn Hinch insists food he ate while in a Victorian prison was "100 times better" than what most pensioners are eating in nursing homes and retirement villages.
The Senate is debating the crossbencher's bill on Thursday, proposing a mandated ratio of skilled staff to patients at aged care facilities.
"I ate 100 times better in jail at Langi Kal Kal Prison several years ago than most pensioners do whether they are at home, or they're in a nursing home or in a retirement village," the independent senator told parliament.
Senator Hinch has been to jail twice for contempt of court, and spent time at the minimum security Langi Kal Kal in 2014 for publishing details about the killer of Melbourne woman Jill Meagher in breach of a court suppression order.
He said many of Australia's aged care facilities were failing the elderly, cutting costs from areas like the daily food budget to put profits first.
"If you can afford it, there are some terrific establishments in this country," he said.
"But there are some real shockers."
It was "bleeding obvious" that higher staff ratios would lead to a better quality of care.
"They've helped make Australia the great country it is today - they have worked, they have paid taxes for decades, they have raised their families, some have been to war.
"But unfortunately, many of these Australians who have given so much to society are highly vulnerable and I believe they are not guaranteed these days the standards of care they deserve within our aged care facilities."
