Page 1142 - Week 04 - Thursday, 17 March 2005
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I fully endorse the comments of Kerry Tucker, who was the chair of the health committee when she said in the preface to the report:
As a community we have a responsibility to ensure that our most vulnerable are protected. We also have a responsibility to see intelligent public policy that takes into account the obvious benefits of prevention and intervention. Access to allied health care services for people in receipt of aged care packages should be a high priority in any public health strategy.
I urge the government to follow through on the recommendations of the report and demonstrate to the community that elderly people living amongst us are respected and valued, that their health and wellbeing is important to us all and that abuse, bullying and neglect will not be tolerated.
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (11.13): I was on the Standing Committee on Health in the Fifth Assembly and this was the last report the committee did. The government response takes note of the recommendations made by the committee. Dr Foskey mentioned a number of issues that have come up in the last month or so. It is my understanding that the government takes the recommendations of the report quite seriously and that that is reflected in the government’s response.
The issue that Dr Foskey raises about threats against residents in aged care facilities is, of course, very serious, and it is one that the government does not seek to shirk. It should be acknowledged that this is very much an issue of federal government jurisdiction. But, having said that, the Stanhope government is interested in making sure that the welfare of all of its citizens is looked after. I know comments have been made in the press that the government intends to look into this issue to see what they can do to assist in making sure that, in cases where there have been threats made against residents in aged care facilities, they have access to complaints mechanisms, as provided for by the federal government.
With respect to the rest of the report, the government has agreed in principle or noted the comments that were made by the committee. I think the government’s response deals with the issues that were raised by the report brought down at the end of the last Assembly.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella—Leader of the Opposition) (11.16): Mr Speaker, happy St Patrick’s Day to you and to all members. In talking about aged care today, it is appropriate to look at what the government has said in its response to that report. Recommendation 1, which is only noted by the government, states:
The Committee recommends that the Government investigate the occurrence of retribution in aged care facilities.
The Committee further recommends that policies relating to consumer protection advocacy and complaints in aged care facilities ensure that residents are able to make complaints safely.
I guess we get to the old question here of “you can’t respond to something that you don’t know about.” When this allegation came up in the paper a couple of weeks ago, the
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