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PDF printable version of Delivering More Aged Care Places For Eastern Melbourne (PDF 20 KB)

29 January 2008
JE 08/05

More residential places to care for older Australians would be made available in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, the Minister for Ageing, Mrs Justine Elliot, said today.

Mrs Elliot was joined by Federal Member for Deakin Mike Symon at a meeting of residents and care providers at Eley Park Community Centre in Blackburn South.

It was Mrs Elliot’s first visit to Victoria as Minister for Ageing. Last week, while in Adelaide, she formally announced more residential aged care places for South Australia.

“The Australian Government recognises that the demand for new residential places for older people in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs is growing,” Mrs Elliot said.

“Our commitment of 60 new high-care places for the Regis Lake Park Nursing Home in Blackburn, as part of the national 2007 Aged Care Approvals Round announced in December, is a direct response to that growing need.

“Heritage Gardens in Bayswater has also received an additional four low-care places which the provider expects to be ready in the next six months.”

Mrs Elliot said the new places at Regis Lake Park and Heritage Gardens were part of the Government’s wider delivery of 1,490 new residential aged care places throughout Victoria.

“While these new places are important, both for Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and Victoria in general, there’s more work to be done.

“That’s why the Australian Government, working together with providers and local communities, will build upon existing allocation levels to deliver both the quality and appropriate quantity of places to care for older Australians,” Mrs Elliot said.

Federal Member for Deakin, Mike Symon, welcomed Mrs Elliot to Victoria and the announcement of the additional aged care places.

“Our senior citizens are the backbone of the Deakin community, and have bestowed us the great community that we live in today.

“These additional beds are great news for our local elderly residents who can no longer live independently and now require a higher degree of assistance,” Mr Symon said.

Other centres in eastern metropolitan Melbourne to receive additional residential care places include:

• 9 high-care and 10 low-care places for the new Templestowe Cottage in Templestowe
• 15 high-care and 10 low-care places for Clovelly Cottage in Boronia
• 30 high-care places for the new The Gables Aged Care Facility in Camberwell

Mrs Elliot said the Government was committed to implementing all policy commitments made at the last election.

“Over the next five years the Government will create 2,000 more transition care beds for older Australians who are currently waiting in hospital,” she said.

“This will help older Australians move from hospital care to more appropriate specialised aged care, or move from hospital back to home.

“The Government will also invest $7 million over five years to encourage 1,000 qualified nurses who have been out of the health workforce for more than 12 months to come back to work in the aged care sector,” Mrs Elliot said.

The process was begun under the Howard Government. Decisions on aged care places are made independently by the Department of Health and Ageing.


For more information, contact Mrs Elliot's office on (02) 6277 7280