Mrs HICKEY - 2001-06-26
The Territory has a total of 362 nursing home and hostel beds among its residential aged care facilities. The minister’s department provides recurrent top-up funding to just five of these facilities totaling almost $376 000. Can the minister confirm that of the $376 000, around $250 000 or 66% is provided to just one facility, Tracy Aged Care in Darwin. Tracy Aged Care has 57 beds or around 15% of the Territory total. How does the minister justify this disproportion of funding?
ANSWER
An interesting question on a couple of accounts, Mr Speaker. First, it anticipates a question that is going to be coming up in the committee stages of the appropriation debate. I am happy to answer it more fulsomely at that time. Suffice to say now, the responsibility for aged care is entirely a matter for the Commonwealth, entirely a matter for the Commonwealth.
Ms Martin: This is Territory funded.
Mr DUNHAM: I know this is Territory funded. That is a good interjection. This is Territory funded. The Territory has always been in the position where we have been quite happy to sponsor initiatives relating to our older Territorians and those who wish to stay here, including those in nursing homes. We have recently provided some millions - we are talking about a couple of hundred thousand here - to get Terrace Gardens built in the Palmerston area in the new health precinct. We did that not because the Commonwealth blackmailed us, not because we felt in some way obliged because of any other factor other than we were assisting Territorians. That is why we provided those millions.
We do provide recurrent funding. The member for Barkly is well aware of this. In fact, I seem to recall debates in the early 1990s when the current Deputy Chief Minister was the Health Minister, and the member for Barkly was pillorying him publicly because he was considering modifying the recurrent grants that went to - guess it! - Tracy Lodge. So it was an issue she took to the feds. I seem to recall the Health Minister at the time, Hon Brian Howe, weighing into the debate. The start and finish of this business is we do not have to provide one cent; not one cent. This is a Commonwealth responsibility. We do it because we support Territorians. That is why we do it.
ANSWER
An interesting question on a couple of accounts, Mr Speaker. First, it anticipates a question that is going to be coming up in the committee stages of the appropriation debate. I am happy to answer it more fulsomely at that time. Suffice to say now, the responsibility for aged care is entirely a matter for the Commonwealth, entirely a matter for the Commonwealth.
Ms Martin: This is Territory funded.
Mr DUNHAM: I know this is Territory funded. That is a good interjection. This is Territory funded. The Territory has always been in the position where we have been quite happy to sponsor initiatives relating to our older Territorians and those who wish to stay here, including those in nursing homes. We have recently provided some millions - we are talking about a couple of hundred thousand here - to get Terrace Gardens built in the Palmerston area in the new health precinct. We did that not because the Commonwealth blackmailed us, not because we felt in some way obliged because of any other factor other than we were assisting Territorians. That is why we provided those millions.
We do provide recurrent funding. The member for Barkly is well aware of this. In fact, I seem to recall debates in the early 1990s when the current Deputy Chief Minister was the Health Minister, and the member for Barkly was pillorying him publicly because he was considering modifying the recurrent grants that went to - guess it! - Tracy Lodge. So it was an issue she took to the feds. I seem to recall the Health Minister at the time, Hon Brian Howe, weighing into the debate. The start and finish of this business is we do not have to provide one cent; not one cent. This is a Commonwealth responsibility. We do it because we support Territorians. That is why we do it.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016