Dr BURNS - 2001-11-28
Minister, there has been some concern expressed over recent weeks about the future of Tracy Aged Care. Could you please advise this House what action has been taken to secure the future of this important service?
Mr Dunham: She said it had nothing to do with her, she said it was not her responsibility.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for his question. Good aged care facilities in the Northern Territory are very important to this government, and we will be assisting in any way that we can, even though it is - as the member for Drysdale has commented - largely a Commonwealth matter.
As many members would know, Tracy Aged Care is a 57-bed residential aged-care facility of which 15 beds are dementia specific. The service is under the auspices of the Darwin Pensioner and Senior Citizens’ Association. The funding and provision of aged care for this facility is costed by the Commonwealth for $1.4m per annum. My department funds Tracy Aged Care to an amount of $230 000 per annum, which basically meets the shortfall from the Commonwealth funding.
The Darwin Pensioner and Senior Citizens’ Association recently came to visit me to tell me that they were facing a very uncertain financial future, and a local financial consultant confirmed this view for all of us. In the interest of the long-term sustainability of Tracy Aged Care, the Darwin Pensioner and Senior Citizens’ Association has appointed Frontier Services to conduct a review of the operation and assist with the management of the service. As you would be aware, Frontier Services managers a number of facilities in Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia, and also managers six of the ten residential aged-care facilities in the Northern Territory. This review, to be conducted over a three-month period, formally commenced on 19 November 2001.
Both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments have supported the appointment of Frontier Services, with the Northern Territory government providing $40 000 to implement the review. A new Board of Management for Tracy Aged Care will be elected at the December Annual General Meeting of the Darwin Pensioner and Citizens’ Association. In the interim, Frontier Services will assist with the care and management of the facility. Meetings have been held with the Commonwealth and my department, along with members of the current board, to seek a constructive solution to the financial issues. It is the opinion of my department that, with careful management, the facility will be able to trade its way out of the current difficulties. Officers of my department will be working with Tracy Aged Care and the Commonwealth to facilitate this.
Mr Dunham: She said it had nothing to do with her, she said it was not her responsibility.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for his question. Good aged care facilities in the Northern Territory are very important to this government, and we will be assisting in any way that we can, even though it is - as the member for Drysdale has commented - largely a Commonwealth matter.
As many members would know, Tracy Aged Care is a 57-bed residential aged-care facility of which 15 beds are dementia specific. The service is under the auspices of the Darwin Pensioner and Senior Citizens’ Association. The funding and provision of aged care for this facility is costed by the Commonwealth for $1.4m per annum. My department funds Tracy Aged Care to an amount of $230 000 per annum, which basically meets the shortfall from the Commonwealth funding.
The Darwin Pensioner and Senior Citizens’ Association recently came to visit me to tell me that they were facing a very uncertain financial future, and a local financial consultant confirmed this view for all of us. In the interest of the long-term sustainability of Tracy Aged Care, the Darwin Pensioner and Senior Citizens’ Association has appointed Frontier Services to conduct a review of the operation and assist with the management of the service. As you would be aware, Frontier Services managers a number of facilities in Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia, and also managers six of the ten residential aged-care facilities in the Northern Territory. This review, to be conducted over a three-month period, formally commenced on 19 November 2001.
Both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments have supported the appointment of Frontier Services, with the Northern Territory government providing $40 000 to implement the review. A new Board of Management for Tracy Aged Care will be elected at the December Annual General Meeting of the Darwin Pensioner and Citizens’ Association. In the interim, Frontier Services will assist with the care and management of the facility. Meetings have been held with the Commonwealth and my department, along with members of the current board, to seek a constructive solution to the financial issues. It is the opinion of my department that, with careful management, the facility will be able to trade its way out of the current difficulties. Officers of my department will be working with Tracy Aged Care and the Commonwealth to facilitate this.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016