Who is the new female Commissioner?

The Turnbull Government's move to quickly establish a Royal Commission into the Northern Territory's youth detention system quickly became a bit of a mess. Just days after being appointed, former NT Chief Justice Brian Martin yesterday stepped down from heading up the Commission. He's been replaced by two commissioners: former Queensland Supreme Court judgeMargaret White and Indigenous figure Mick Gooda. Margaret White's been described as a "very fine legal mind" by Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts in The Australian today, and as someone who in 21 years as a Supreme Court justice, "brought to bear great humanity as well as intelligence." First admitted as a barrister in 1978, White became the first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1992. She said she's honoured to have been approached for the role, but conceded it will be a challenging task. From Women's Agenda Aug. 2016

Census: 9th August. Be sure to complete

On Tuesday 9th August 2016, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is calling on everyone in Australia to pause and make a difference by taking part in the 17th national Census of Population and Housing, on Tuesday, 9 August.  This is an online census and following receipt of your Census letter in the mail from ABS where you can find out more including your login instructions  at https://stream10.census.abs.gov.au/eCensusWeb/welcome.jsp#top2  Arrangements can be made with ABS to complete a paper census form if that is preferred.

The aim of the Census is to collect accurate data on the key characteristics of the people in Australia on Census night, and the dwellings in which they live. The Census is the only source of comprehensive data for 5 years that will provide input into analysis of intersectional characteristics of disadvantage of the population of Australia classified by Gender.  This analysis will feed into the Gender Indicators Product and the SDG Indicators from 2018. First release of date will commence around April - June 2017 and the second release will follow in November 2017.

eS4W encourages you on August 9 to take part and help inform decisions on policy and planning issues that affect the lives of all Australians and in particular women.

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) congratulates the Coalition and Prime Minister Turnbull on regaining government. ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie said: "The community sector looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that economic growth is strong and inclusive and lifts the living standards of people who have the least, with social policy front and centre in its next term. "The new Government, and the country, face real challenges. Growth in the economy and jobs is slowing, more people are struggling to make ends meet, and public budgets – both Federal and State - are under pressure," said Dr Goldie. "The community understands that hard decisions must be made, but since the 2014 Budget it has resoundingly rejected policies that shift the costs onto people who can least afford to pay, including people who can't get paid work, families on low incomes, and people with a chronic illness. This is what the close election result tells us, and it’s vital the Government heeds that message and works with the community to build support for acceptable reforms. "A new direction for restoring the Budget in a fair and sustainable way needs to be set, including to: Shield people on low incomes from Budget savings, including the proposed cuts to unemployment and family payments, and Energy Supplements, that together would leave many low-income families $100 a week worse off. Reduce the cost of rapidly-growing programs and tax breaks that are not fit for purpose. This includes the proposed $6 billion reduction in superannuation tax breaks for people with higher incomes or wealth, tightening the Private Health Insurance Rebate, reducing the 50% Capital Gains Tax discount, and addressing negative gearing.The Government could expect bipartisan support from Labor or the Greens for many of these budget savings. Only proceed with company and personal income tax cuts if it’s clear they are funded by fairly and efficiently broadening the base of these taxes and they will deliver the claimed economic benefits. Lifting the Newstart Allowance as a matter of urgency, given it has not been increased for two decades and is only $38 per day. This could be funded in part by progressively phasing out poorly performing schemes such as ‘Income Management’. Guarantee access to essential services such as health care to all who need them, while reviewing the way they are funded and delivered (e.g. funding arrangements for hospitals) to improve their long-term cost effectiveness. "Budgets are about priorities. It’s not acceptable for a single parent family living on $600 a week to take a hit to their income, or for people with chronic illness to pay more for their prescriptions or doctor’s visits, while tax breaks remain in place for a person with over $1.6 million in their super account. "Community support for reform is grounded in an adequate safety net, an affordable and secure home, being treated with dignity and respect, and essential services like health and education. These social protections depend on growth in the economy, secure jobs and a strong tax base. "Good economic policy cannot be delivered without a strong social policy agenda. And addressing climate change requires exactly this approach. ."We look forward to working with the new Government on each of these fronts," Dr Goldie said. Contact:  Australian Council of Social Service, 0419 626 155

follow on Twitter | ACOSS Website | follow on Facebook Copyright ACOSS 2016. All rights reserved.

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RECALL: batch BK 119 of the oral hygiene product Chlorofluor Gel (all bottle sizes)   Please forward this message to relevant staff in your organisation We are advising aged care professionals and facilities that Professional Dental Supplies, in consultation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), will be recalling batch BK 119 of the oral hygiene product Chlorofluor Gel (all bottle sizes). The recall is because of a potential risk of infection due to bacterial contamination. Please check whether any of your residents or care recipients are using Chlorofluor Gel Batch BK 119 and advise them to stop. More detailed information is published on theTGA website which will be updated as more information about the recall becomes available. Ageing and Aged Care Group Department of Health

View this email in your browser Our website platform is changing on 1 July - update saved links From 1 July 2016 Ageing and Aged Care content will be moved from the Department of Social Services website to the Department of Health’s platform atagedcare.health.gov.au. This is due to Machinery of Government changes which moved the responsibility for Ageing and Aged Care from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Health. The switchover will not be instantaneous as it can take some time for pages to appear. You will be able to continue to access content from the DSS site until the migration is complete. There will be re-directs in place if you use an old DSS url. Ageing and Aged care content will remain the same, with only minor changes to site navigation. What you need to do after 1 July: if you have any links on your website, update these with our new URL familiarise yourself with agedcare.health.gov.au and find where your items of interest are now sitting add new bookmarks update your favourites settings. If you have any problems finding information after 1 July, email aacei@health.gov.au for assistance. Ageing and Aged Care Group Department of Health Copyright © 2016 Advice to the Aged Care Industry, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you provided your details to the department or you opted in to receive our advice messages. If you are not already receiving these messages for the aged care sector, you can subscribe by visitingdss.gov.au/AgedCareUpdates If you are a provider of aged care services (funded under the Commonwealth Aged Care Act 1997) unsubscribing from this service, the department requests that you supply an alternate email address, e.g. group mailbox, to continue receiving important information for your organisation. Do you need to update your contact details? You can update your subscription preferences in MailChimp and change the email address and/or organisation type, or by emailing aacei@health.gov.au with your new contact details. Machinery of Government changes Due to government changes, responsibility for ageing and aged care has moved to the Department of Health. From1 July 2016 aged care content will be located at www.agedcare.health.gov.au

To:  All TAFE supporters

Now is the time to take up the TAFE cause again and join the rest of the TAFE Community Alliance members in campaigning in the lead-up to the Federal elections.  You can find out about what is happening on the website:  www.tcaelection16.blogspot.com.au

We are:

• Conducting a targeted seats campaign, so if  you would like to do some work in your local area, let us know.  We need politicians and candidates standing up for TAFE this election
• Handing out leaflets (see the website) at events, markets, shopping centres – if you would like some, contact lindasimon2@bigpond.com
• Starting “Occupations for TAFE campaign’ – expect to see the picture of your local sparkie or the chef at your local restaurant in a ‘….. for TAFE’ picture and comment – join in too.
• Tweeting and blogging and much more

If you are a candidate for these Federal elections, then we urge you to make TAFE a major issue.

We need you to help out as we know you also care about ensuring we have TAFE colleges in the future.  Contact us:  tafecommunityalliance@gmail.com

Our slogan is:  TAFE – job, skills and growth for all

TAFE Community Alliance

Information for Aged Care Providers Issue 2016/10 In this issue: Transfer of web content from dss.gov.au to the Department of Health website Residential Care: ACFI claiming: assistance levels for activities of daily living questions explained Preparing for an ACFI review National Quality Indicator Program third quarter data collection starts soon Home Care Packages: Increasing Choice in Home Care – consultation closes 9 June 2016 Commonwealth Home Support: Guidance on direct to service referrals for Commonwealth Home Support Program providers Transfer of web content from dss.gov.au to the Department of Health website Ageing and Aged Care information is expected to move from the DSS site onto the Department of Health’s website in the last two weeks of June. During this ‘transfer’ period, there may be a content freeze where no new information can be published. The new url will be www.agedcare.health.gov.au. Existing links will be redirected; however, stakeholders may need to check links once the transfer has happened. ACFI claiming: assistance levels for activities of daily living questions explained Recent Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) reviews have found assistance levels for activities of daily living (ADL) questions recorded inaccurately. A claim for ACFI ADL questions 1-4 must provide sufficient evidence to satisfy the requirements of the ACFI User Guide. The claim must relate to the specific day-to-day assessed care needs of the care recipient. These needs must be predictable and required for the specified activities as described in the User Guide. They must also be correctly reflected in the claim rating. Assistance levels for ADL questions in the checklists are: Independent: the care recipient needs minimal or no assistance Supervision: this includes setting-up and standby: setting-up activities are defined as assisting the person to initiate a specified activity or complete part of that activity standby is defined as standing by during the stated specified activities to provide assistance (verbal or physical). To claim standby, staff should be in close proximity to assist for ACFI question 1, and there needs to be a commitment of staff on a one-on-one basis for ACFI questions 2, 3 and 4. Physical assistance: individual physical assistance from another person(s) is needed throughout the specified activity. Further information is available on the department's ACFI webpage. Preparing for an ACFI review When preparing ACFI packs for a review, approved providers should include all relevant evidence needed to support claims made. Review officers are also authorised to seek further information. This can include requesting additional documentation, interviewing staff and observing/interviewing care recipients, as well as assessing the care recipient’s impairment using simple task assessments, or undertaking ACFI assessments. Approved providers are reminded that when using templated documents in the ACFI packs, completed templates should clearly document the assessed needs of each individual care recipient to support the rating that is claimed. Further information is available on the department's ACFI webpage. National Quality Indicator Program third quarter data collection starts soon Third quarter data collection for the National Quality Indicator Program begins on1 July 2016. For guidelines and information about joining the national voluntary program please review the resource manual on the department's website. If you have questions about Quality Indicator definitions, call the My Aged Care provider and assessor hotline on 1800 836 799 to get in touch with the QI support team. We welcome your feedback and inquiries. Increasing Choice in Home Care – consultation closes 9 June 2016 On 11 May 2016, the department released a consultation paper and exposure draft of the proposed amendments to the delegated legislation (Aged Care Principles and Determinations) to seek feedback on the implementation arrangements for the first stage of the Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms. These documents, including a submission template, are available on the department’s Consultation Hub webpage. Written submissions to the consultation paper will close at 5.00 pm,Thursday 9 June 2016. On 20 May 2016, the department held a live webinar to discuss the issues outlined in the consultation paper. The link to access a recording of the webinar is accessible via the department's webinars webpage. Guidance on direct to service referrals for Commonwealth Home Support Program providers In 2015 My Aged Care introduced a holistic assessment process, independent of service provision. Clients needing to access Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) services should be assessed by the Regional Assessment Service (RAS). The department has recently retrained the contact centre to ensure direct to service referrals are only made in circumstances where there is an immediate need for services to start to assure the safety of the client. In all other circumstances the process for providers and contact centre is that: where a client has directly approached a CHSP provider, the provider should refer clients to My Aged Care and not start services without an assessment the contact centre should refer clients to the RAS for assessment of client care needs without any direct referral to providers. Further guidance on direct to service referrals with examples of exceptional circumstances when they may, and may not, be acceptable is available on the department’s website. Providers can help by reassuring clients that the assessment is a chance to talk about their needs and goals with an assessor, such as remaining in their home as long as possible. Clients should be made aware of the value of a holistic assessment to ensure the continued provision of services that meet their needs. Printer-friendly version  Information for Aged Care Providers Newsletter - Issue #2016/10 (144 KB) Copyright © 2016 Advice to the Aged Care Industry, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you provided your details to the department or you opted in to receive our advice messages. Forward this email to a friend If you are not already receiving these messages for the aged care sector, you can subscribe by visitingdss.gov.au/AgedCareUpdates If you are a provider of aged care services (funded under the Commonwealth Aged Care Act 1997) unsubscribing from this service, the department requests that you supply an alternate email address, e.g. group mailbox, to continue receiving important information for your organisation. Do you need to update your contact details? You can update your subscription preferences in MailChimp and change the email address and/or organisation type, or by emailing aacei@health.gov.au with your new contact details. Machinery of Government changes Due to recent government changes, responsibility for ageing and aged care has moved to the Department of Health. Information is currently still available on the DSS website (www.dss.gov.au/ageing-and-aged-care). We will notify you when information will be transferred to the Department of Health website (www.health.gov.au/ageing-and-aged-care).