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As for the issue of nursing home beds in the ACT, as with so many other community service areas, there is a shortage. There are waiting lists for nursing homes in all States in Australia, and we urge Mrs Carnell to continue to lobby the Commonwealth Government to address the inequitable situation which faces the ACT, where many people join their families from interstate in retirement. We also provide nursing home beds to people in the surrounding region. So, on balance, we have not been convinced that the ACT Government has a role to play in nursing home facilities in the ACT. Again, let me stress, the main issue here for us is quality of care for the elderly.

The Greens have sought a number of guarantees concerning the sale of Jindalee. We have sought and gained an assurance of transparency and better process in terms of discussing the issues with carers and allaying fears, by having the Council on the Ageing involved not only in the tendering process but also in the implementation and by discussion with residents. We understand this position is supported by the ACT Council of Social Service and COTA. Secondly, the Greens have asked the Government to seek to ensure that Jindalee Nursing Home is sold to a not-for-profit organisation. Currently, the majority of nursing homes in the ACT are run by the not-for-profit sector. By selling to a not-for-profit organisation, all money made will be returned to the facility to increase services and maintain infrastructure.

I was a little surprised that Mrs Carnell said that, all things being equal, she would give the tender to the not-for-profit sector. I would ask Mrs Carnell to clarify that. My understanding this morning, in the meeting with her and Mr Moore, was that she would give preference to the not-for-profit sector, which could involve selling it at a lower price in order that a not-for-profit organisation could buy it. It is definitely the preference of the Greens that the community own and run such important facilities. I was very impressed yesterday with Mirinjani, a not-for-profit nursing home. Mrs Carnell has said that she will do all she can to ensure that this occurs, and, as I have said, COTA will be involved in monitoring and evaluating all potential tenders.

Thirdly, we have sought and gained an assurance that all staff, in particular regular casual staff, will be taken care of - that is, that those people will be either redeployed or paid out. We also ask for a commitment from Mrs Carnell - this was not mentioned at the meeting this morning, but I am asking for it now - that no sale of property will occur without it going through the Planning and Environment Committee of the Assembly.

Mr Speaker, the Greens have tried to work constructively on this issue by seeking these assurances rather than painting it as a black-and-white issue. We will continue to monitor what is happening in aged care, and I hope that we can continue to consult and listen to consumers and workers from the field. I realise that our position on this has disappointed some of these people. I acknowledge their presence here today and I welcome them to the Assembly. We believe that the processes that have occurred over the last few years have been very poor, and I think it is very understandable that the staff and residents are very concerned about what will happen with the changes that are now occurring. We hope that, with improved processes, there will not be any problems for these people. For that reason, we have taken the position that we have.

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