Page 927 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
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MR CORNWELL (3.36): Madam Speaker, I rise to support Mr Kaine's comments. I think probably the best example I can give is the Chief Minister's response only last Thursday to the report of the Standing Committee on Social Policy on aged accommodation and support services in the ACT. I can best describe the heavily qualified comments that she made as the artilleryman's option - the gunna option, I suppose, but let us call it the artilleryman's option. Let me give you some examples of these heavily qualified statements. The Chief Minister said that the Government has made considerable progress in arguing the ACT's case on the inadequate number of Commonwealth subsidised nursing home beds. That is considerable progress in arguing the case, not in doing anything about it. She also said:
The Government is expecting an outcome by the end of the 1993-94 financial year.
Again, further ahead we hope that something might happen. She said:
I understand that the very high dependency level of ACT nursing home residents ... The unusually high dependency levels which exist in the ACT will enable the Government to argue ...
The Chief Minister went on to say that she expects that this case will be put to the Commonwealth in the first half of the next financial year. She also said:
The Government has also been addressing the problems related to the funding of dementia places in hostels.
What has been the Government's response? They have again raised this matter in discussions with the Commonwealth. The Chief Minister said:
The Government is also aware of the need to provide crisis care for aged people in the ACT.
Consideration is being given to the city parks depot adjacent to the Burrangiri complex at Rivett. The Chief Minister said:
I would now like to address the issue of a purpose built facility to cater for younger people with disabilities.
She said that the needs of this group are quite diverse and that by the end of May 1994 the Government will have considered a range of options. Again, there have been no decisions, just a whole flow of words. The response goes on:
The Government recognises that the needs ...
... the Government ... is also investigating programs ...
The Government strongly supports the concept of active ageing ...
The Government also has a long-term plan to address aged care ...
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