New HACC funding for Qld announced

Queensland will get an extra $36 million to support older people living independently in their own homes under the Commonwealth-state Home and Community Care (HACC) program.

Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, and Queensland Minister for Disability Services, Annastacia Palaszczuk, made the announcement with Federal Member for Bonner, Kerry Rea, in Wynnum on Brisbane’s bayside on International Day for Older Persons (1 October).

Mrs Elliot said the extra HACC funding would deliver improved services to older people and their carers. More than 157,000 Queenslanders benefited from HACC services last financial year.

The Rudd Government contributed $23.8 million and the Queensland government $13 million under the $36.8 million funding package. Ms Rea said the Blue Care depot in Wynnum would receive three vehicles as part of the funding package.

Of the nearly 140 vehicles being funded throughout Queensland under the HACC funding, Blue Care will receive 35 cars and people movers worth more than $900,000.

The vehicles will help people access needed services such as centre-based day care, allied health and nursing. The additional funding is part of a three-year plan for HACC in Queensland, which will see the state receive nearly $1.3 billion over the next three years.

The funding will provide funds for:

• Purchasing nearly 140 vehicles to provide transport;
• Building modifications and the purchase of allied health equipment;
• More than 152,000 hours of additional domestic assistance;
• Almost 50,000 additional hours of allied health care; and
• Nearly 100,000 hours of social support.

Other organisations to receive funding include:

• $130,000 for a people mover to support delivery of transport services for the Pine Rivers Community – Assisted Transport Services. Plus an additional $99,610 in recurrent funding to the service to support 49 clients for social support services and provide transport services to 79 clients; 
• Churches of Christ in the Bundaberg region to receive more than $130,000 to expand domestic assistance, home maintenance, personal care and respite care and more than $73,000 to purchase two station wagons and office equipment; and
• More than $294,000 for St Luke’s Nursing Services in Townsville to expand needed services in allied health, centre-based day care, domestic assistance, nursing care, personal care and respite care.

In 2009-10 the HACC program will receive $1.9 billion in funding nationally, with almost $1.2 billion of this contributed by the Australian Government.

In 2009-10, the Australian and Queensland Governments have provided a budget of $429.2 million for the ongoing delivery of the HACC program. This represents an increase of $44.8 million over the 2008-09 budget.

This funding will be shared by more than 380 organisations delivering HACC services, including 147 Meals on Wheels providers, which will receive more than $5 million in meal subsidies.