The Productivity Commission Report on Government Services 2006 released last week demonstrates that the Howard Government is still failing to provide sufficient residential aged care beds for our frail older Australians in the Gold Coast hinterland.

The Government announced in May 2004 that they would provide 88 aged care beds for every 1000 people aged 70 years and over (at the time reducing the ratio from 90). The Productivity Commission (PC) Report states that at June 2005 there were only 85.2 beds for every 1000 people aged 70 years and over (p.12.10).

The ALP candidate for Forde, Mr Brett Raguse, said that In the Logan River Valley aged care planning area that equates to a shortfall of 347 beds!

"Even though the Government keeps claiming it is providing more aged care places, they have failed to keep up with residential beds in proportion to the growing numbers of frail older people in our area.

"In 10 years, the Howard Government has turned an 800 aged care bed surplus in 1996 into a 4613 shortfall in June 2006. When Labor left Government there were 92 beds for every 1000 people aged 70 years and over compared with only 85.6 now," Mr Raguse said.

The PC Report also shows that waiting times to get into a residential aged care have increased significantly over time. Now, over 28% of people, who have been assessed as requiring a bed, wait three months or more to actually receive a bed, compared with 15% in 2000 (p.12.30).

“I urge the Minister for Aging, Senator Santo Santoro, to recognise that there is considerable undersupply of residential beds at present in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

“This situation, along with the increasing age of the population leaves the older residents in the Forde electorate at a considerable disadvantage,” Mr Raguse said.