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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Thursday, 26 August 2004) . . Page.. 4361 ..

There are a number of instances of projects being delayed for some months while the board considers their position. The planning system Australia-wide has requirements and procedures for consultation and appeals. The project which is lodged with all necessary information and which attracts at least one objection then goes to appeal and may take many months for the DA to be approved. The land sale grant system rightly has its own set of legislative requirements, courtesy of the Assembly. Due process and consideration to community views must be taken before land can be sold.

The facts I have just mentioned, most of which are outside the control of any government, mean that beds will always take a certain time to build. However, if a year’s allocation is operationalised each year and it takes two years to build the beds, there will always be of the order of 200 beds or more which are not yet operational at any one time. We do need to repeat and understand that, as there has been and I think continues to be a deal of misunderstanding.

Under the system as it currently operates, there will always be of the order of 200 beds or more which are under construction or in planning at any one time. The Commonwealth system creates that. In fact, it would probably be a cause of great alarm for people to understand the sector if there were no provisionally allocated beds. If that were the case, you would have to expect no beds to be able to come on line for the next two or three years. I think it is a shame that the opposition and others have not understood this basic fact of the operation of our existing scheme. I think it is fair to mention that representatives of the Commonwealth government, during the recent planning and environment committee hearings on the topic, acknowledge that the sector in the ACT is delivering more beds more effectively than almost any other jurisdiction in Australia.

There are just a few points to be made in concluding this statement. First, the ACT government appreciate the need to remain flexible and responsive to the changing market. We recognise that in the longer term there may be a decline in nursing home care, with a simultaneous increase in the provision of services to the home. The changes to the planning system that I have outlined recognise and respond to the growing trend towards ageing in place. In addition, we are encouraging and assisting private industry to develop innovative models for aged persons housing. This may result in the growth of a small multi-unit development service by community providers.

Second, in my statement to the Assembly on 11 December 2001 I committed the ACT government to meeting the needs of older Canberrans. I clearly indicated this government’s intention to create an inclusive community where older people feel safe and valued and where adequate programs and services are available to meet their needs. The government’s plan for older Canberrans was developed after extensive consultation with the community and includes a commitment to the provision of adequate housing and accommodation. In March this year, when I launched “Building our Community—the Canberra social plan”, I reiterated the government’s commitment to meeting the needs of older Canberrans and undertook to put in place innovative aged care and accommodation initiatives.

Finally, we have developed a strong and comprehensive program to support our elderly. We have introduced a number of successful and significant initiatives aimed particularly at meeting the needs of our ageing population. We continue to take a pro-active approach

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