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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2969 ..

MR CORNWELL (continuing):

in the near future."I, for one, am not holding my breath, thank you, because I think we may be waiting a long, long time.

I asked what was happening to block 12 section 28 in Hughes. This adjoins St Andrews Village. They wish to expand, in fact I think they wish to use it for caring for those with dementia. I may be wrong there and I do not want to pre-empt that. The answer says, "Part of the site has been identified as a possible area which could be developed."This has been going on for several years, I hasten to add. "The Land Development Agency is awaiting a response from St Andrews,"who are probably tearing their hair out wondering what they have to do next.

However, there is some assistance-

Mr Corbell: We have to change the Territory Plan, actually.

MR CORNWELL: Why the delays?

A 60-bed aged care facility was announced in the last budget. I commend the minister for that. Of those 60 beds, 30 would be allocated to rehabilitation, 10 to transitional care and 20 to psychogeriatric, dementia type clients. I welcome that. What concerns me is that the timeframe is December next year, 2004. Frankly, with the government having the track record that I have just outlined, I am very sceptical that we will ever get to it.

Yet, we find that, in its older Canberrans policy, the Labor Party will "Support a draft variation to the Territory Plan which will allow land designated 'community facilities' to be used specifically for aged care accommodation as well."It does not seem to me that Labor has followed through on its own policy. I do concede, Mr Speaker, that there are problems in the relationship between the Commonwealth and the states in relation to responsibilities and other issues involved in aged care. It is a major headache that bedevils all states and territories and the federal government.

However, these problems are exacerbated at the local level, I submit. I can illustrate that with the following point. Since 1999, funding for 349 aged care beds, at a value at some $7.9 million in recurrent funding, has been issued by the Commonwealth government to the ACT. In addition to the 349 beds, this year's round of allocations added 90 residential and 14 community care packages for aged care. This is a total of 430 places. Where are they?

We have already identified one of the ridiculous delays in building the 65-plus bed facility at Bruce, approval for which Mr Corbell, incidentally, sees fit to announce and reannounce. However, we still have no firm commitment to the completion date, Mr Speaker. Meanwhile, of course, our elderly people continue to languish on waiting lists, continuing to take up-and this is important-much needed hospital beds while being categorised as nursing home patients. Thus, they exacerbate the hospital bed crisis that we are continually hearing about from this ALP government and, of course, they are blaming the Commonwealth.

Mr Corbell, it is claimed that some 80 plus acute care hospital beds are taken up by nursing home patients. If we could get some aged care accommodation, we might be

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