Investing in Australia's aged care - moving ahead

13 August 2004

JB154/04

Investing in Australia's aged care - moving ahead

The Australian Government is moving ahead with the measures announced in its record $2.2 billion Investing in Australia's Aged Care: More Places, Better Care Budget package with the announcement today of a new taskforce.

Minister for Ageing Julie Bishop said the Australian Government had already delivered on several Budget measures, including $513.3 million in payments to aged care providers to help them upgrade their buildings and meet fire safety standards, and increased capital assistance payments on behalf of concessional residents in aged care homes.

"Our $2.2 billion Budget package is the largest single investment in aged care by any Australian Government," Ms Bishop said.

"The new committee, headed by Jim Carlton AO, provides an opportunity for consultation with the aged care sector and wider community and will help ensure the remaining Budget measures are delivered in full, on time.

"Mr Carlton has a long and commendable history of service to Australia and I am confident that, under his guidance, the group will ensure that the commitments contained in the Australian Government's package will be effectively fulfilled," Ms Bishop said.

Some of the significant Government initiatives the committee will oversee include:

• a new Internet-based service to provide information on the quality of care in aged care homes, as well as information on fees, services and workforce;


• an e-commerce platform for residential aged care payments and simplified resident classification scale, reducing paperwork for aged care staff and increasing efficiency in the information exchange between government and providers; and


• a provider-funded guarantee fund to further protect residents' bonds.

The committee will receive expert and technical advice from a range of working groups focusing on the specific Budget initiatives. These groups will include representatives from the aged care sector, consumer groups and the wider community.

"The package is delivering on the Australian Government's vision for a world class system of aged care that provides high quality, affordable and accessible aged care to meet the individual needs of older Australians," Ms Bishop said.

Media Contact: Minister Bishop's office (02) 6277 7280

Attachment:

1. A list of the Committee members is attached.

Minister's Implementation Committee

Mr Jim Carlton (AO)
Consultant; Director, Carlton International Consulting Pty Ltd. Secretary-General, Australian Red Cross Society 1994-2001. Chairman, Australian Innovation Association since 2001. Council Member, Australian Strategic Policy Institute since 2001. (Victoria)

Ms Jo Hardy
Director of Nursing and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Ogilvy Homes Society.
2003 Ministerial Awards for Excellence in Aged Care Award winner. (Tasmania)

Professor Tony Broe
National President of the Australian Association of Gerontology. Scientific Director of the Ageing Research Centre and Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital. Published extensively on his research in neuroepidemiology, brain ageing, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, vascular and other dementias and also into healthy ageing

Professor Len Grey
Trained as a physician in geriatric medicine and in health management. Research interests focus on service delivery and policy in aged care, across all settings - hospital, community and residential care. (Queensland)

Mr Richard Ellis
Managing Director, Ellis Aged Care. (Victoria)

Mr Wayne Belcher
Chief Executive Officer, Churches of Christ Homes and Community Services Inc. (Western Australia)

Mr John Ireland
Manager, Southern Cross Care. (New South Wales)

Ms Helen Kurincic
Executive Director, Benetas (formerly Anglican Aged Care Services Group). 2002 Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year. (Victoria)

Mr Ian Hardy
Chief Executive Officer, Helping Hand Aged Care, Uniting Church Aged Care. (South Australia)

Ms Sharon Davis
Manager, Uniting Church Frontier Services. (Northern Territory)

Mr David Armstrong
Chief Executive Officer, Amity Group Pty Ltd. (New South Wales)

Replacement Attachment: inserted 18 August with amendments to the paragraph relating to Professor Tony Broe.