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MEDIA RELEASE Media advisory 30 April 2001 PRESS CONFERENCE Government caught out on aged care funding claims The National Aged Care Alliance is holding a press conference on 1 May at 1pm to release the findings of a new report which shows that aged care funding has declined in real terms despite Government claims that it has increased funding significantly. The report, by the Australian Institute of Primary Health Care, La Trobe University, commissioned by the Alliance, compared funding from the 1996/97 financial year with funding in subsequent years up to 1999/2000 and shows that funding has not kept up with demand. The report found that there have been constantly rising demands on resources because of marked increases in resident numbers; the numbers of respite care days used; and, resident dependency levels. The report also found that pressures arising from increased care demands are exacerbated by an inappropriate indexation method used by the Commonwealth Government to estimate costs of providing residential aged care. The report estimates that underfunding of aged care was in the region of $61.3 million to $158.6 million between 1996-97 and 1999-2000. The Alliance is calling on the Government to immediately adjust funding of the aged care system to meet the real costs of care. The National Aged Care Alliance was formed last year to address growing community concern about the quality of aged care services in Australia. It is made up of 18 organisations, including consumer groups, unions, employer organisations and professional associations: Media inquiries
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National Aged Care Alliance
PO Box 4239, Kingston ACT 2604 Australia Tel. 61 2 6232 6533 Fax. 61 2 6232 6610 Site Design by John Thrift Publishing Tel. 61 2 9560 5076 |