Member for Moore Shane Love MLA has welcomed aged accommodation funding worth $2.5million for six new independent living units in Dongara.
Mr Love said the latest $13.1 million state wide aged accommodation program was a vastly scaled back version of a comprehensive project approved by the last Government that was to see funding of $117 million for an additional 416 aged care beds across regional WA.
Included in the program but dropped by the incoming Labor Government, were independent living units in Moora, Dalwallinu, Toodyay, Calingiri and Yerecoin,” he said.
“I am relieved that the projects in the Shire of Victoria Plains are still under consideration but frustrated that the other projects have been stopped.”
Mr Love said The Nationals had delivered unprecedented investment into aged care and independent living infrastructure while in Government.
“The Nationals WA know that investing in appropriate health services and infrastructure creates sustainable and liveable regional communities and this has been one of our key priorities,” he added. “Every project delivered or earmarked for development had been established in close collaboration with local shires and regional communities – we want to give older people the chance to remain in the regional communities they know and love.
“The Minister for Regional Development has herself admitted that projected growth rates for people aged over 65 in regional areas are greater, often significantly greater, than those in metropolitan areas.”
Mr Love encouraged aged care providers such as the WA Country Health Service to get behind a new Federal Government push to increase the number of aged care residential beds.
“The recently announced Federal Government funding has the potential to deliver considerable benefit to regional WA but requires aged care providers to submit an application to the Aged Care Approval Round (ACAR), which opened on July 2,” he added.
The latest ACAR round will make available 13,500 residential aged care places and 775 short-term restorative care places nationally, with some 3300 residential aged care beds quarantined for WA. Further information: https://agedcare.health.gov.au/funding/aged-care-approvals-round-acar/2018-19-aged-care-approvals-round or: acar@health.gov.au.
