Subjects: Cooinda Court
E&OE
STARTS: 10:15am
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Today is a red-letter day not just for Cooinda Court but for the entire Junee community. What we’ve had here today is the opening of the $2.3 million Banksia eight-bed facility, the new wing at Cooinda Court.
Cooinda means “happy home”, and for the residents here at this wonderful facility, it truly is a happy home. What this means is that people from Junee can age in place. They can spend their twilight years—their golden years—in the community where they grew up, where they have contributed so much, and where they belong.
With happy, familiar faces surrounding them, this is an important investment by the Federal Government. We need to continue making investments like this in country communities. Aged care in regional areas is simply too important to overlook.
Whether they are in Junee or anywhere in regional Australia, people should be able to spend their twilight years in the communities they have loved, lived in, and contributed so much to.
It’s a great privilege to be here today to officially open the Banksia wing at Cooinda Court. I’m also pleased to be here with my State colleague, Steph Cooke, who I know worked hard to acquire the land for this project.
Well done to the volunteer board, the committee, and the hardworking staff—they make this great facility what it is.
HAYLEY WILKINSON:
So, we were talking earlier about this project opening in June 2020. Does that mean it was funded by the Coalition Government?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Oh, very much so. It was the Coalition Government that funded this project, just as it was the Coalition Government that put in place the Aged Care Royal Commission.
Now, I know the Royal Commission was an important step in shining a light on some dodgy practises in aged care, but not in Junee and largely not in regional Australia.
What the Royal Commission has done, however, is place a very onerous responsibility on facilities like this, requiring them to have 24/7 registered nurses. And for aged-care centres in regional communities, that is incredibly difficult.
For example, I know Coolamon’s aged-care facility, Allawah Lodge, had to shut for an entire wing because they simply couldn’t find enough staff. Fortunately, I was able to help them bring in staff from overseas, and they’ve since reopened.
But this is the reality for many aged-care providers. If they can’t find enough staff, they won’t be able to care for local residents, and it’s simply not fair, not right, and not appropriate that people who have spent their entire lives in a town should have to move hundreds of kilometres away from loved ones, friends, and their communities just to access aged care.
While I agree that the Aged Care Royal Commission was necessary, we must acknowledge that small regional facilities are doing their very best. They shouldn’t be burdened with excessive compliance or the impossible task of finding 24/7 registered nurses.
There are some exemptions, but we need to do everything we can to support regional aged-care facilities, encourage growth, and make the right investments in the right places—and that place is regional Australia.
EMILY FRANCIS:
As mentioned earlier, there are now efforts to expand end-of-life services here. Are you supporting this?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Absolutely. Palliative care is so important in regional Australia. People shouldn’t have to move hundreds of kilometres away from their homes just to receive palliative care. That’s not fair, it’s not right.
That’s why the investment should be in regional Australia, in the very communities where people have lived their entire lives.
EMILY FRANCIS:
The Albanese Government has announced $2.6 billion to increase aged-care staffing in facilities like this.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
It’s about time.
EMILY FRANCIS:
What are your thoughts on that? And would the Coalition have had a similar plan?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, I took Uralba Hostel, that wonderful aged-care facility at Gundagai, with John Knight, I took them to meet the Minister, Anika Wells, and she was surprised that the 24/7 nursing was causing such heartache for regional communities.
Being able to just find that number of nurses—it was, I think, rather surprising that she didn’t know about that.
And it’s really important that we do find the staff.
I mean, it’s not just aged care, it’s childcare, it’s the NDIS, it’s every endeavour.
It’s really difficult to find the number of people who are there to be able to do those jobs.
And for the Government to finally, with an election looming, find that amount of money to boost aged care, well, hopefully, it’s not too little, too late.
All I would say is, it’s about time.
ENDS: 10:23am