‘Extra’ cash not enough for NSW Meals on Wheels

NSW Meals on Wheels has welcomed a state government funding initiative to provide more subsidies for volunteer drivers, but said it does not go far enough, and was just an allocation of general funding announced in the last state budget.

The state government announced that it would give $6.7 million over 12 months to Meals on Wheels and other HACC providers, to help offset rising petrol costs.

But the chief executive officer of the NSW Meals on Wheels Association, Les MacDonald, said that while the one off funding was necessary to maintain current volunteer numbers, it did not provide a long term solution.

Mr MacDonald said the $6.7 million was drawn from $10 million in service improvement funds allocated at the last state budget.

“It is not new money,” said Mr MacDonald. “All it has done is loosen the rules about service improvement money, to enable these organisations to reimburse those volunteers who use their own cars.”

Mr MacDonald said the money might otherwise have been used for service expansion projects.

The state’s Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, Kristina Keneally, said the money would be given to organisations, who would decide how the funds would be spent.

“Options which will be available to volunteer organisations include increasing their subsidy to volunteers, or increasing the number of people that they offer a subsidy to,” she said.