Page 367 - Week 03 - Thursday, 1 June 1989
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HACC is a very cost-effective program compared with the cost of maintaining people in institutional care. Our largest HACC service, Red Cross Home Help, provided assistance to clients at an average cost to HACC of just over 80c per day. Compare this with the government subsidy for nursing home beds in the ACT of $43 to $81 a day, depending on the level of care.
Another refreshing aspect of HACC is the wide range of community consultation which occurred in developing the program and determining priorities for service development. In this respect my department has negotiated for some months with its Commonwealth partner, the Department of Community Services and Health, to set up an advisory committee for HACC.
I am very concerned that the negotiations on the composition of the committee have taken several months to finalise and that final nominations have still not been approved by Peter Staples, the Commonwealth Minister for Housing and Aged Care. This is a vital issue which I intend to take up with Mr Staples as soon as possible.
Mr Speaker, once the advisory committee is established its task will be to determine HACC priorities. My department will then call for applications for funding in 1989-90. These will be considered jointly by officers from my department and the Department of Community Services and Health. Peter Staples and I will then have the responsibility for considering those recommendations and approving the most deserving projects.
Mr Staples and I recently announced grants totalling nearly $427,000 for HACC projects. I was particularly pleased to announce $30,000 funding for the Community Programs Association to operate an innovative day respite service for younger disabled ACT residents between 25 and 60- - -
Mr Kaine: They are pretty young at age 60!
MR BERRY: Indeed - with severe to profound intellectual and/or physical disabilities. This will be a new service which will meet a great need in the ACT. There is currently no other form of respite care service for this target group. The annual operational grant for this project will be $71,300.
A wide range of other organisations will also receive funding in the latest package. The Red Cross Society will receive $7,500 to train its staff on the best use of the computer system to assist, monitor and administer Red Cross services and to purchase an answering machine.
The Meals on Wheels service will receive funding to purchase a van for use at the service's new meals distribution point in Tuggeranong and to purchase some items of furniture and equipment. This will involve a
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