View this email in your browser 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round – Allocation of  Short-Term Restorative Care Places The Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Health, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP today announced the allocation of 475 new Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) places worth an estimated $34.7 million. A total of 400 STRC places will take effect in 2016-17 with a further 75 taking effect in 2017-18. The STRC results from the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR), including details of the successful approved providers, are available on the department's website. The STRC programme increases the care options available to older people, through a time-limited (up to 56 days), goal-oriented and multidisplinary package of services. The programme may be delivered in a home/community setting, a residential aged care setting, or a combination of both. Eligibility for STRC is determined by a comprehensive assessment undertaken by an Aged Care Assessment Team. My Aged Care comprehensive assessors will be able to begin assessing clients across Australia for STRC eligibility from Monday 27 February 2017. From this date, the new STRC providers will be able to add details of their new services and allocated places to the My Aged Care website. This information will support assessors in making service referrals, and will supplement the national list of STRC services now available on My Aged Care. For more information about STRC please visit the STRC website, or contact STRC@health.gov.au. The results of the second phase of the 2016-17 ACAR covering its residential aged care and capital grant components are anticipated to be announced by mid-2017. Ageing and Aged Care Group Department of Health Copyright © 2017 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 atagedcare.health.gov.au/AgedCareUpdates If you are unsubscribing from this service and you're a provider of aged care services (funded under theCommonwealth Aged Care Act 1997 or via a CHSP grant agreement), the department requests that you supply an alternate email address, for example a 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 your email address or organisation type. If you have problems updating your information, email aacei@health.gov.au for help.

OWN Australia Inc. 

A registered charity working for and on behalf of the Older Women (55+) of Australia

Help us in our advocacy work by becoming a member of our National Body (OWN Australia inc) or by simply subscribing to our quarterly National Newsletter (NN).

Annual Membership: $50.00 (included NN)

NN Subscription $30.00

See our website for payment details or contact us on email: ownaust@gmail.com

The Great Australian Dream–

Housing for ALL

 

Saturday February 11, 2017 (12pm – 2pm)

Speakers

Senator Lee Rhiannon 

•  Australian Greens Senator for NSW

Prof Alan Morris (UTS),

• Prominent urban and housing studies scholar
• Author: The Australian Dream

Emeritus Professor Frank Stilwell (PhD)

• Emeritus Professor in Political Economy at the University of Sydney.
• One of the preeminent economists in the field of Political Economy in Australia.
• Author of eleven books including ‘Economic Inequality’, ‘Who Gets What?’ & ‘Reshaping Australia’

Katherine McKernan

• CEO Homelessness NSW

OWN AUSTRALIA INC

The only organisation in Australia solely focused on and dedicated to the Rights, Dignity and Well- being of the OLDER women of Australia. We celebrate our new charitable status 

DONATE NOW

we need your help to continue

Paypal to OWN Australia Inc, or postal order to PO Box 511 Neutral Bay NSW 2089

OWN Australia Inc (OWNA)has been invited, by our local Federal Minister, to a roundtable discussion with the new Federal Health Minister's team to discuss issues of importance for policy directives, in regards to Health. OWNA will speaker directly on the health concerns of Older Women and we need your help!

This opportunity, I am sure, will very much work well for OWN, Australia-wide as well as for our affiliate organisations and friends.

Please provide information at your earliest. Information  regarding Medicare particularly as well as general health concerns from a patient and from carer and community workers point of view

Information required by Monday 30 January.

​

Thank you in advance for your contributions.

View this email in your browser My Aged Care evaluation survey coming soon A sample of aged care providers, assessors, health professionals, clients and peak bodies who have used My Aged Care in the last year will be invited to take part in a survey on their experiences. Why participate? If you are contacted to take part, this is an opportunity to tell us how we can improve our services and what we are already doing well. The survey is being conducted by market research agency AMR. Your privacy will be protected and all feedback is anonymous. More information Contact aacei@health.gov.au with any questions about the research. This is the second wave of research to evaluate users’ experiences of My Aged Care. The summary of findings from the 2016 wave is on the department’s website. Ageing and Aged Care Group Department of Health Copyright © 2017 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 atagedcare.health.gov.au/AgedCareUpdates If you are unsubscribing from this service and you're a provider of aged care services (funded under theCommonwealth Aged Care Act 1997 or via a CHSP grant agreement), the department requests that you supply an alternate email address, for example a 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 your email address or organisation type. If you have problems updating your information, email aacei@health.gov.au for help.

ACOSS Media Release: Centrelink debt fiasco must end immediately

11 January 2017 Centrelink debt fiasco must end immediately ACOSS calls on the Australian Government to immediately suspend the automated Centrelink debt recovery program that is treating current and past Centrelink recipients like second-class citizens. ACOSS also calls for the program to be independently reviewed. Acting ACOSS CEO Peter Davidson said: “Centrelink has demonstrably failed in its duty of care to ensure accurate information is provided to recipients of income support and this failure is causing undue stress, anxiety and harm to some of our most vulnerable people. “In December, we wrote to the Minister calling for the immediate suspension of the debt recovery program because of the systemic problems with the data-matching system. “ACOSS does not oppose debt recovery action where overpayments have occurred. However, Centrelink must properly investigate overpayments rather than shift the onus of proof onto Centrelink recipients. This would not be accepted from a private creditor and it should not be accepted from a government agency assisting financially vulnerable people. “To reach an arbitrary target of $4 billion in savings, the government has opted for an error-prone system. For every million dollars raised, it’s likely that hundreds of people are told to repay debts they don’t have and hundreds more are needlessly subjected to stress and anxiety. “The government has a duty of care towards people who call on it for support, especially those on low incomes. It has breached that duty of care with this debt recovery program, which is why the program must cease in its current form to prevent further harm. “We are hugely concerned that people are paying back debts that they do not owe because it is too hard to prove that they do not owe it. Where people have issues with the online portal, many cannot get through to Centrelink on the phone and are not receiving the help they need at Centrelink offices. “To add insult to injury, a 10% recovery fee appears to be systematically applied to debts when it should only apply where people knowingly or recklessly give false information to Centrelink. “Automated debt recovery action must be suspended, including against people who have already received letters. ACOSS repeats its call to Minister for Human Services Alan Tudge to meet with organisations representing and assisting Centrelink clients in the near future to redesign the program so that it is accurate, fair and humane.” Media Contact: Charmaine Crowe, ACOSS, 0419 626 155 While ACOSS is not equipped to provide individual advice, we suggest that people receiving these letters who are anxious or uncertain how to respond contact a welfare rights centre or free legal advice service for help. A list of welfare rights centres is here: http://www.welfarerights.org.au/organisations The National Welfare Rights Network has published a fact sheet providing information about what to do if you have a received a debt letter here: http://www.welfarerights.org.au/news/2017/1/9/new-factsheet-centrelink-online-debt-system Other sources of assistance include: Legal Aid Commissions - http://www.nationallegalaid.org/  Your local legal aid commission can give you information and advice. Your local community legal centre - http://www.fclc.org.au/find_a_clc.php  Provides legal information and advice. Most services are free. Commonwealth Ombudsman - www.ombudsman.gov.au/ Assists the public by investigating and resolving complaints about Government departments and agencies (and is undertaking its own investigation of the automated debt collection system) Your Local Member of Federal Parliament - http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Members Lifeline 13 11 14 - a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. People affected can also register their concerns on social media using either http://www.notmydebt.com.au/ or on twitter at #notmydebt