Fed: Bishop says nursing home beds not phantom

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2001
Fed: Bishop says nursing home beds not phantom

CANBERRA, April 4 AAP - Nursing home beds announced by the federal government were
guaranteed and not phantom places, Aged Care Minister Bronwyn Bishop said today.

The Labor Party yesterday accused the government of announcing almost 15,600 phantom
aged care beds that would never be built or used.

But Mrs Bishop said there was nothing phantom about the government's aged care beds.

"They are both guaranteed and funded," she said in a statement.

The figure used by Labor of beds that had been announced but had not materialised was
simply a rounded-off addition of the 7,221 beds announced in the year 2000 round and the
7,181 beds announced in the 2001 round, Mrs Bishop said.

A number of changes had also been made to ensure the new beds were brought on stream
as quickly as possible.

"The Howard government has introduced a trilogy of reforms to ensure beds are brought
onstream quickly," Mrs Bishop said.

"Firstly we introduced legislation that means providers must bring the places on stream
within two years of being allocated those places.

"Secondly, providers are to make a six monthly report as to precisely when they can
bring those beds on stream.

"And I announced yesterday that for the first time a key consideration in an applicant
being successful will be whether or not they can bring those beds on stream in a relatively
short time frame."

Mrs Bishop added that residential aged care expenditure had increased under the Howard
government to $3.9 billion in 2000/01 from $2.5 billion in 1995/96.

Community aged care packages were also being brought on line quickly.

"Indeed of the 6,532 community aged care packages announced on January 12, already
40 per cent are operational in less than three months," Mrs Bishop said.

"The remaining packages will be operational by June."

All of the 4,275 packages from the 1999 round were fully operational, she said.

AAP eg/daw/sp/de

KEYWORD: AGED BISHOP

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