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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2974 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, in a broader sense, the territory is also working with the Commonwealth in a forum that will look at ways of improving the processes associated with the planning for and development of aged care facilities. I have agreed to a request from the federal Minister for Ageing, Mr Andrews, to ensure that ACT officials and Commonwealth officials engage in joint planning exercises when future proposals for bed allocations are made in the ACT.

To date, Mr Speaker, most of the land sold for aged care facilities has been sold by way of direct grant. I have asked the Land Development Agency to initiate a review of the processes for the direct sale of land with a view to implementing changes which will improve the way such applications are handled. Mr Speaker, it is important that the Assembly be kept informed of progress with this work on identifying suitable sites, and I undertake to do so.

Mr Cornwell also outlines the need for a step-down facility for southern Canberra and it is worth noting that the ACT government currently funds a range of services which provide step-down care for patients in community and residential assessments. These include the ACT Convalescent Service, which is currently located on the Calvary Hospital campus at Bruce; Burrangiri crisis respite centre for the aged, located in Rivett, which provides an excellent component of post-hospital care; and the ACT transitional care program, which provides a residential component of transitional care, is located in Red Hill and also provides community-based packages which are delivered in the client's home; and, finally, the community options transitional support program which, similarly, provides support and care in the client's home.

These are all services the ACT government currently funds, the last being the new pilot program referred to in my foreshadowed amendment. In addition to these services currently being provided, the ACT government has allocated $5.15 million in capital works for a new subacute facility in the ACT. In broad terms, and for the first time, this facility will provide services in the areas of post-acute rehabilitation, transitional care in a separate facility and dedicated psychogeriatric services in the ACT. The service modelling, including its potential location, is currently being developed by ACT Health.

Mr Speaker, as the ACT is a relatively small geographic area, with a small population, the government does not accept Mr Cornwell's assertion that this service should be provided on both the north and south sides of Canberra. A single facility in a central location can adequately service the entire city. Ensuring smooth transitions across services and maintaining care links with a focus on client outcomes will assist clients to access services, regardless of their location.

This is important to know: the provision of residential respite places is primarily the responsibility of the Commonwealth government. As at April 2003, the Commonwealth funded 14,447 respite days in the ACT, including high and low care places. The Commonwealth has a benchmark of an upper limit of three places per 1,000 people over 70 years. The ACT benchmark is 56 respite beds with the current allocation being 51 respite beds.

The ACT government is aware of the access issues that people in the community and their carers are facing when trying to access respite places. In the 2003 aged care

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