INQUIRY INTO RESIDENTIAL AND COMMUNITY AGED CARE
The Member for Berowra Philip Ruddock MP said today that the Senate has referred to the Finance and Public Administration Committee for an inquiry into residential and community aged care and he urged constituents to make an application. This report will be brought to the Senate by the first sitting day of April 2009.
The funding, planning, allocation, capital and equity of residential and community aged care in Australia, with particular reference to:
a. whether current funding levels are sufficient to meet the expected quality service provision outcomes;
b. how appropriate the current indexation formula is in recognising the actual cost of pricing aged care services to meet the expected level and quality of such services;
c. measures that can be taken to address regional variations in the cost of service delivery and the construction of aged care facilities;
d. whether there is an inequity in user payments between different groups of aged care consumers and, if so, how the inequity can be addressed;
e. whether the current planning ratio between community, high- and low-care places is appropriate; and
f. the impact of current and future residential places allocation and funding on the number and provision of community care places.
Written submissions are invited and should be addressed to:
The Secretary
Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Closing date for the receipt of submissions is 19 November 2008.
The Committee prefers to receive submissions electronically as an attached document - email: fpa.sen@aph.gov.au.
Submissions become Committee documents and are made public only after a decision by the Committee. Publication of submissions includes loading them onto the internet and their being available to other interested parties including the media. Persons making submissions must not release them without the approval of the Committee. Submissions are covered by parliamentary privilege but the unauthorised release of them is not protected.
Following consideration of submissions, the Committee will hold public hearings. The Committee will consider all submissions and may invite individuals and organisations to give evidence at the public hearings.
Information relating to Senate Committee inquiries, including notes to assist in the preparation of submissions for a Committee, can be located on the internet at http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/wit_sub/index.htm
For further information, contact:
Committee Secretary
Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee
Department of the Senate
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia
Phone: +61 2 6277 3530
Fax: +61 2 6277 5809
Email: fpa.sen@aph.gov.au