City of Greater Geelong to continue in-home aged care after backlash

THE City of Greater Geelong will continue providing in-home community care services, following significant pressure from the Australian Services Union (ASU), state Labor MPs and city employees.

The decision, made during the confidential section of the council’s meeting last night, was announced today (Wednesday, May 28), with the council warning recent reforms to the Aged Care Act, which come into effect on July 1, will fundamentally change the way these services are delivered across the municipality.

The city first proposed transitioning its in-home community care clients to specialist providers in April, after a review of the service by council officers raised concerns the city would be forced to find millions of dollars to support its ongoing provision.

The proposal was quickly met with outrage.

On Wednesday, Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said the council had been elected to “listen to and advocate on behalf of the community” it serves, labelling the decision a win for both aged care clients across the municipality and city employees.

“It’s important to note that there will be some changes to how the service operates – these will be determined by the requirements of the Commonwealth government, but our aspiration is for it to be consistent with the service they’ve come to know and love.

“It’s been heart-warming to hear so many stories from people who have told us about how this service makes a difference in their lives every single day.”

In the days leading up to May’s federal election, Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj called for additional funding to support the city to continue to provide the aged care service, stating the city’s discussions with the relevant federal department to that point had been “disappointing”.

He confirmed the council would continue to work and negotiate with the federal government on the issue “in good faith” as it continues to advocate for funds to support the transition to the new Commonwealth service model.

City of Greater Geelong chief executive confirmed all clients would be contacted individually, to help them understand the impacts of the changes to their service and to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.

“We will be taking this one step at a time, speaking to clients individually and working with employees to explain exactly what’s changing for their service under these reforms,” she said.

“Our teams are standing up to help anyone who is still unsure about what this means for them.”

For more information, city staff are available to assist via phone on 5272 5272 or email at [email protected]