Richard Marles, Libby Coker ask Geelong councillors to delay aged care vote

Geelong councillors are expected to ignore a recommendation that City Hall cease providing in-home aged care – but that hasn’t stopped a strong lobbying effort by local Labor MPs.

Christine Couzens, Ella George and Libby Coker want Geelong council to continue to provide in-home aged care. Picture: Ginger+Mint.

Local state Labor politicians are heaping pressure on Geelong councillors to support the continuation of City Hall’s in-home aged care services, while their federal counterparts are urging for the matter to be put on hold.

Richard Marles and Libby Coker co-signed a letter that was emailed to all councillors and chief executive Ali Wastie around midday Tuesday, just hours out from a confidential vote on the issue.

The pair noted the “productive” and “encouraging” ongoing discussions between the City of Greater Geelong and the Department of Health and Aged Care regarding delivery of aged care services.

“The federal government understands the council is set to make a decision on its delivery of aged care services at a meeting on the 27th of May,” they said.

“We urge council to defer this decision until negotiations have concluded and note that a special council meeting could be held prior to the end of the financial year.

“This approach would ensure that all councillors are fully aware of the outcomes of discussions with the department and the available funding options when making their decision.”

Multiple sources familiar with the matter said an alternative motion to be introduced by Andrew Katos on Tuesday night would recommend council continue to provide all aged care services it currently does.

It is expected the motion will pass with majority, if not unanimous, support.

Councillor Andrew Katos is expected to introduce an alternative motion that will see the City of Greater Geelong continue to provide in-home aged care. .

A rally organised by the Australian Services Union will be held prior to Tuesday’s meeting, at which state Labor MPs Christine Couzens, Ella George, Alison Marchant and Gayle Tierney will have a statement read on their behalf.

Ever since news broke in early April that an aged care exit was being considered, the group has been adamant that doing so would be a “complete abrogation of Geelong council’s responsibility”.

This is despite Geelong council being one of the last dozen of Victoria’s almost 80 local governments to provide the services.

“It is not acceptable that this proposal would see up to 300 job losses of hard working, trusted and committed staff at a time of cost-of-living stress, this would be devastating to many families in Geelong,” the Labor MPs said.

“It is not only the 3000 predominantly elderly residents who will lose services and, possibly, their independence to live at home, it is their elderly partners, their children and grandchildren who will have to carry the burden of council’s decision.

“We are hopeful that the Councillors will vote tonight to retain one of the most basic services essential to our community’s health and wellbeing.”

Earlier: Geelong aged care exit to be decided behind closed doors

The debate over whether City Hall should continue to provide in-home aged care will be closed to the public despite some councillors arguing for transparency on the issue.

The matter is listed in the confidential section of Tuesday night’s meeting agenda, which council’s executive director of city life Anthony Basford said was standard protocol when commercially sensitive information was involved.

In an email seen by the Geelong Advertiser, Mr Basford told impacted employees on Friday that a staff meeting would be held Wednesday morning.

“In this meeting, the outcome of the decision will be communicated directly to you in an open and transparent way, and we will be working with all our staff and clients about what the next steps are,” he said.

“Regardless of the upcoming decision, we will be working with all clients to make sure that their care needs are supported. That is our commitment.”

The decision was initially expected on April 10 but that meeting was postponed after significant push back from the Australian Services Union.

That included a Fair Work Commission hearing where the union claimed council has breached its obligations regarding consultation.

Geelong council employs approximately 220 care staff who assist 3000 residents.

“We’ve been treated really, really poorly … called to a meeting with very little notice, blindsided,” one staff member said at the time.

Another really will be help prior to this week’s council meeting. Picture: Alison Wynd.

It is expected that the recommendation from city officers to exit aged care will be overridden by an alternative motion from Deakin ward councillor Andrew Katos.

But whether that motion calls for the status quo to remain or a reduction in some services is unclear.

In the lead up to Tuesday’s vote, some councillors unsuccessfully argued for the vote be held in the public domain, as they did in April.

A union spokesman said City Hall appeared “determined to maintain a shroud of secrecy over the future of aged care in the region”.

“Council management has been unwilling to include the ASU in discussions with the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, despite the union’s representation and advocacy for many council workers in the sector,” the spokesman said.

“The ASU understands council submitted a business case to the department, seeking to increase unit pricing and a reduction in service supply – this is likely to mean supporting fewer clients in the region.”

Mr Basford said in his email that federal government reforms that come into effect in July had forced council to act.

“The reforms require us to respond in some way – doing nothing is not an option, as we would no longer be compliant with the new Support at Home program requirements,” he said.

Mr Basford also took aim at the union.

“It’s been disappointing to read the commentary of the ASU over the past few days … they have claimed that we are moving ahead with the privatisation of our service, but at no point have we ever raised or discussed privatisation, so it’s unclear where this claim has come from,” he said.

“The process of reaching a decision is an extremely complex one, largely due to the uncertain environment created by the Commonwealth Government reforms.”

Originally published as Richard Marles, Libby Coker ask Geelong councillors to delay aged care vote