Mr MILLS - 2000-11-28
Yesterday, I attended a public meeting in Palmerston regarding the new aged care development in Palmerston, Terrace Gardens, formally known as Chan Park. The focus of the meeting was a choice of airconditioning in the new facility, with some concerns that none would be available in the residents’ bedrooms.
Can the minister please advise present and future residents and their families about whether the operator of this service, Frontier Services, will in fact be supplying airconditioning?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is always a source of some pride for me to stand in this House and catalogue the assistance that this government has given to our senior Territorians. In the case of nursing homes, it is likewise a source of great pride that I can stand and say that this Territory government is trying to make sure that those people who have done their time here in the Territory, have worked hard for what we have, should be rewarded in their later years, particularly in the unfortunate event they may need full nursing-home care.
We have in the past assisted nursing homes up and down the Track. Interestingly, one provider is outstanding in this area and that is Uniting Church Frontier Services. It operates facilities in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and also at the current Chan Park.
The Northern Territory government has for some years tried to assist with making sure that the facility, which we believe is substantial, at Chan Park is replaced with a new state-of-the-art facility. In doing that, we put our hand in our pockets for some $4m, remembering, as I said, that this is essentially a Commonwealth responsibility. We did it willingly because we wanted to make sure the facility that was built reflected the needs of those people who see this place as their home in their final years. That is the critical issue. It is their home and they should have some choice about its design, its style, and how they live.
I must confess we were a little bit impatient with Uniting Church Frontier Services. We wanted this thing to move quicker and they went to great lengths to be very diligent about the consultative process. They talked to carers, to the current residents of Chan Park, to staff, to staff in other facilities - as I said they have several other facilities in the Territory - as they wanted to make sure this reflected tropical living and it reflected also the needs of the divergent clientele they would have, many of whom came from all over the Territory, and some of whom had been here their entire lives.
A meeting was held last night. There was one particular aspect that caused me some concern. A variety of rocks were thrown at the Uniting Church Frontier Services over what I think is an entirely solvable matter, and that is airconditioning in bedrooms at this home. It is worth pointing out a couple of facts. The first is that the current facility is not airconditioned and the residents live there without airconditioning. When asked about whether they wanted a new facility, there were mixed answers. Some chose to and some chose not to. It is also worth pointing out that the facility that will be built will have large verandahs, louvers and outside areas. It accords with the experience of Uniting Church Frontier Services in places like Katherine which gets much hotter than this place, and where people have chosen to be out on the verandah under a fan rather than in an airconditioned enclosed area.
I am hopeful that the meeting that was attended by my colleague, the member for Blain, last night will put this matter to bed. It is my firm belief that the facility that will commence in the next month will be world class. It will cater for some 50 Northern Territory residents in the twilight of their years. It is a well designed facility. I am confident it will be well run. The argument has been along the lines that if residents choose to have airconditioning and are unable to afford it, these people may somehow be sweltering against their will. I can assure the House that will not be the case. I have spoken to Uniting Church Frontier Services and I have received correspondence from them. They are an organisation that is well respected in the community. They are entirely confident that, if residents are unable to have the option of purchasing a system, there are benefactors to Uniting Church Frontier Services who will step forward and be able to do that.
The Northern Territory has already shown its bona fides by providing $4m worth of benevolence and I am hopeful that some of those noisy critics out there will also do likewise and help this fine facility. There is a body called ‘Friends of Chan Park’. I know my colleague, the member for Blain, has indicated his willingness to be a very loud advocate for that group. Through this group we can make sure that those facilities – and it is not just airconditioning; it could be furnishings and paintings and others – are purchased for the benefit of Territorians in the Palmerston area.
Can the minister please advise present and future residents and their families about whether the operator of this service, Frontier Services, will in fact be supplying airconditioning?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is always a source of some pride for me to stand in this House and catalogue the assistance that this government has given to our senior Territorians. In the case of nursing homes, it is likewise a source of great pride that I can stand and say that this Territory government is trying to make sure that those people who have done their time here in the Territory, have worked hard for what we have, should be rewarded in their later years, particularly in the unfortunate event they may need full nursing-home care.
We have in the past assisted nursing homes up and down the Track. Interestingly, one provider is outstanding in this area and that is Uniting Church Frontier Services. It operates facilities in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and also at the current Chan Park.
The Northern Territory government has for some years tried to assist with making sure that the facility, which we believe is substantial, at Chan Park is replaced with a new state-of-the-art facility. In doing that, we put our hand in our pockets for some $4m, remembering, as I said, that this is essentially a Commonwealth responsibility. We did it willingly because we wanted to make sure the facility that was built reflected the needs of those people who see this place as their home in their final years. That is the critical issue. It is their home and they should have some choice about its design, its style, and how they live.
I must confess we were a little bit impatient with Uniting Church Frontier Services. We wanted this thing to move quicker and they went to great lengths to be very diligent about the consultative process. They talked to carers, to the current residents of Chan Park, to staff, to staff in other facilities - as I said they have several other facilities in the Territory - as they wanted to make sure this reflected tropical living and it reflected also the needs of the divergent clientele they would have, many of whom came from all over the Territory, and some of whom had been here their entire lives.
A meeting was held last night. There was one particular aspect that caused me some concern. A variety of rocks were thrown at the Uniting Church Frontier Services over what I think is an entirely solvable matter, and that is airconditioning in bedrooms at this home. It is worth pointing out a couple of facts. The first is that the current facility is not airconditioned and the residents live there without airconditioning. When asked about whether they wanted a new facility, there were mixed answers. Some chose to and some chose not to. It is also worth pointing out that the facility that will be built will have large verandahs, louvers and outside areas. It accords with the experience of Uniting Church Frontier Services in places like Katherine which gets much hotter than this place, and where people have chosen to be out on the verandah under a fan rather than in an airconditioned enclosed area.
I am hopeful that the meeting that was attended by my colleague, the member for Blain, last night will put this matter to bed. It is my firm belief that the facility that will commence in the next month will be world class. It will cater for some 50 Northern Territory residents in the twilight of their years. It is a well designed facility. I am confident it will be well run. The argument has been along the lines that if residents choose to have airconditioning and are unable to afford it, these people may somehow be sweltering against their will. I can assure the House that will not be the case. I have spoken to Uniting Church Frontier Services and I have received correspondence from them. They are an organisation that is well respected in the community. They are entirely confident that, if residents are unable to have the option of purchasing a system, there are benefactors to Uniting Church Frontier Services who will step forward and be able to do that.
The Northern Territory has already shown its bona fides by providing $4m worth of benevolence and I am hopeful that some of those noisy critics out there will also do likewise and help this fine facility. There is a body called ‘Friends of Chan Park’. I know my colleague, the member for Blain, has indicated his willingness to be a very loud advocate for that group. Through this group we can make sure that those facilities – and it is not just airconditioning; it could be furnishings and paintings and others – are purchased for the benefit of Territorians in the Palmerston area.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016