HACC cash row

By Tania Martin
A CALL for extra cash for Home and Community Care (HACC) across the region has ended in a political stoush.
It follows the release of the auditor-general’s report, Funding of the Home and Community Care Program, Eastern Metropolitan Victoria.
Liberal Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe last week slammed the government for a lack of funding, saying the outer-east was being disadvantaged by the lowest level of HACC cash per capita in the state.
But a State Government spokesman hit back at the Opposition, saying the government was taking action to support vulnerable Victorians.
“Christine Fyffe and the lazy Opposition should hang their head in shame over their assertions over HACC funding … the Liberal Government spent just half of what the Labor Government does,” he said.
However, the Shire of Yarra Ranges has weighed into the argument, saying there was a huge gap in the current funding.
Ryrie Ward’s councillor Jeanette McRae said there was a growing need for more HACC service across the shire as the community continued to age and the demand increased.
“We have been consistent in asking for recognition of the high costs of service delivery in our municipality due to the much greater distances staff have to travel,” she said.
“But we receive no funding recognition for this.”
Cr McRae said the council was also concerned that the needs of younger people with disabilities were not being met.
She said this was caused by a lack of local service providers capable of offering activities for the moderate to severely disabled.
“This is an issue that needs to be addressed now, particularly with poor public transport options reducing the ability of people to access programs ‘down the line’,” Cr McRae said.
Ms Fyffe said the current level of HACC funding could not keep up with the growing demand in the region.
She said in the Yarra Ranges alone there was an anticipated 87 per cent increase in the number of people over the age of 60 from 2001 to 2021.
Ms Fyffe said the report also outlined the Department of Human Services predicted the HACC program would be plagued by long-term funding inequities for the next 25 years.
But the State Government spokesman said they were taking action to support vulnerable Victorians by increasing funding by 131 per cent.
“In this year’s budget we have increased funding for HACC services by $49.8 million over 4 years.”