Page 3075 - Week 08 - Thursday, 25 June 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The ACT government’s funding of the companion card is an important achievement. Paying for carers to attend events with a person who has a disability can be expensive, especially for those people that have limited funds. This program will be of limited cost to the government but will have a big impact on those people with a disability and those who care with/for them.
A key concern to have arisen out of investigations into the Ageing budget was the elder abuse program and the rationale behind ceasing its funding. We were advised during estimates that the $90,000 provided to ADACAS to run this program was a one-off and funding will cease on 30 June. The elder abuse advocacy funding was originally provided as a one-off because the officer who received ADACAS’s submission—this is according to ADACAS—most unfortunately passed away.
As a result, ADACAS’s submission was lost and did not make it into the relevant budget deliberations. When this was realised, one-off funding was provided to ADACAS on the basis that ADACAS would put in a new budget submission in the following year. At the time, however, there seemed to be little question that the need for the service was established and that it was an administrative error that had prevented it receiving recurrent funding.
It was also recommended via the review of the elder abuse prevention program that, in every case of suspected or actual elder abuse, a coordinator from the most appropriate service be identified and named, with the responsibility for response coordination for the client. In the case of people suffering elder abuse and who are considered to be legally competent, ADACAS provides that service. And while funding is tight during the global financial crisis, it can be argued that more elderly people rather than fewer are likely to suffer abuse.
The estimates committee did recommend that ADACAS continue to receive funding to run the elder abuse program. We are disappointed to see the government responded negatively to this recommendation. The government did say in its response that it will redevelop its elder abuse program so that it has a more coordinated and multidisciplinary approach. We are very keen to know how much funding the ACT government will allocate to this, when it will tender for it and whether we have to wait for 12 to 18 months for this to occur.
On a positive note, I am pleased to see $1.5 million allocated for the refurbishment or construction of a facility for the Tuggeranong 55 Plus Club. I understand we should see the results of the feasibility study shortly. The activities calendar for the club is a busy one, with activities ranging from jazzercise to digital photography, and I am sure a new facility will do much to add to the social inclusion of older people living in Tuggeranong.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability and Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Corrections) (9.37): The initiatives in the 2009-10 budget continue to deliver our commitment to improve the outcomes for people with disability, families and carers. This commitment has seen funding for disability services and support
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .