2HD Radio Newcastle Breakfast with Richard King
E & OE
KING:
Well visiting our neck of the woods today is the Federal Assistant Minister for Social Services to conduct an aged care forum is Paterson, and that’s Mitch Fifield who is on the line right now. Good morning Minister.
FIFIELD:
Good morning Richard.
KING:
Thanks for your time this morning, nice to talk to you. Look I was reading a terrific story in the Good Weekend, the Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend about a couple who have struggled on account of the fact that 7 months after they were married which was quite some time ago, husband Brad Connelly broke his neck in a surfing accident and he did have to say lots of nice things about the rollout of the NDIS. We’ve been lucky to be part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme trial, it has really improved things as we have 50 per cent more care then we’ve had for the past 17 years. I now receive 7 hours help for 6 mornings a week, it means Pam can go out and do things like painting landscapes and seascapes. I try to do housework with my carers to take the load off her and I know it’d strictly under your umbrella. But the rollout of the NDIS, I gather is going pretty well at this state.
FIFIELD:
It is going pretty well Richard. In the Hunter region there are about 3,000 people at the moment who are NDIS participants. And surveys of satisfaction show that it’s in the high 90 per cent. So that’s great. But the work that I do, the work that the staff of the Agency do and the nice new NDIS offices, they only have meaning in so far as it makes a difference in the quality of life of Australians with disability. And you’re right, we’re seeing essentially a doubling of the level of support through the NDIS. And that’s great. It’s an example of where the Parliament works. Where all sides of politics come together and do something that is unequivocally good.
KING:
2HD coming up to 13 past 8. My guest is Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield who’s in the Paterson electorate with local Liberal MP Bob Baldwin, and will be involved in a couple of aged care forums. What exactly is the purpose of these?
FIFIELD:
Firstly today I’ll be celebrating with Bob Baldwin the merger of Lara Aged Care and RSL Life Care in Dungog. Two great community organisations coming together. But Bob and I will also be having a couple of aged care forums. One in Dungog and one in Raymond Terrace. We want to hear from aged care providers and others involved in the sector about what’s working, but also about what could be improved. So I’m here to listen and to learn so that I’m at a better position to shape policies in the area.
KING:
My mothers in aged care up in Grafton and she has Alzheimer’s so it’s something that I know a little bit more about than I did a couple of years ago. We haven’t seen a great deal in the way of bipartisan support for things but fortunately both major parties have welcomed your Government’s new program to help carers of people who suffer from dementia which is certainly something that’s much needs as its going to be something that’s affecting more and more people as time marches on Mitch.
FIFIELD:
Dementia is a very serious issue in the community and probably half of the people who are in residential aged care have dementia of some form. But there’s also a group of people in residential care who exhibit what are called severe behaviours related to dementia. So what we’ve announced, and will have in place before the end of the year, are severe behaviour response teams. So an aged care provider who may have a resident with some particularly challenging behaviours relating to Dementia will be able to call the service and there will be a mobile team of clinical experts who will go to the facility between 24 and 48 hours to help advise on what can be done to help that individual and help the aged care facility. Because it can be distressing for the individual who has severe behaviours, but it can also be distressing for the other residents. So we think this is just a really good and practical proposition to make a difference in residential aged care settings.
KING:
And this severe behaviour response team. Where will they be based Minister?
FIFIELD:
That’s something that we’ll be working through with the sector. We want to design this with the providers and with others in the sector. So that’s something that we’ll be working through, but they’ll be throughout Australia. And it’s also really important that we make sure that they’re available in regional areas.
KING:
Just on this sort of combined disability alliance. There are some peak disability bodies and advocates that are a little bit split on whether or not this is a good thing or not. Would you like to comment?
FIFIELD:
The Commonwealth Government for 20 or 30 years has provided funding to national peak bodies that represent people with disability to help them make a contribution in the development of policy and legislation. Now this funding had never been made contestable before. This means that there were some peak organisations who hadn’t received money, who said look, we’d like the opportunity to put in a pitch for some funds. So we said for the first time ever, we’re going to open the process up, make it contestable, make an application. And my department made an assessment at arm’s length from me as Minister. So there are some groups that received funding previously that will continue to receive that. There are some groups who haven’t previously got funding who will be. But there will, you’re right, be some organisations who won’t continue to be funded under this program. But we still will have very strong, very vocal Commonwealth funded national peak bodies in disability to keep us up to the mark.
KING:
Great, look thank you very much for your time this morning, have a good day. Enjoy your time in the Paterson electorate Mitch.
FIFIELD:
Well, it’s always easy to enjoy your time with Bob Baldwin in this neck of the woods.
KING:
Alright thank you, have a good day.
FIFIELD:
Thanks Richard.
KING:
The Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield. As I said he’s with Liberal Federal Member for Paterson Bob Baldwin. They’ll be there at Lara Aged Care this morning and also holding a number of aged care forums in the area.
ENDS